Star Wars Episode IX: A New Dawn
by Faith Rivens
Summary: An alternate take on the last film in the new series. Voices call Kylo to the dark side. Rey tethers herself to the light. But souls bound across the galaxies struggle to find balance as the forces around them push them together then threaten to tear them apart.
1. Opening Crawl

**A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...**

**STAR WARS**

**Episode IX**

**A NEW DAWN**

Turmoil reigns within and without.

The RESISTANCE struggles to rebuild

in the year since the Battle on Crait.

Sporadic skirmishes spawn superficial successes,

but there is no hope for real victory against the

FIRST ORDER with their numbers so diminished...

REY remains on Ajan Kloss with GENERAL ORGANA,

seeking the fragments of rebellions forces.

Though she is called to join the fight, her mind

is clouded, her heart torn. SNOKE is dead, but her bond

with KYLO REN remains open, and growing stronger...

Ren faces a conflict of his own, untethered and uncertain

in his role as SUPREME LEADER. His constant strife with

ADMIRAL HUX breeds division within the FIRST ORDER's

ranks. Seeking resolve, Ren follows a voice to the

ocean moon of Endor and the wreckage of the

DEATH STAR...

* * *

**_*author's note:_**

**_It's been a while since I felt compelled to reimagine a story in pop culture. But ROS just didn't do it for me personally, so here I am ;)_**

**_Also note that my knowledge of the SW universe is mainly limited to the movies and the Clone Wars tv show and some books. I've done as much research as I can to not be too AU outside the last film, but best intentions, right ;)_**

**_ENJOY :)_**


	2. Chapter One

A vast black expanse hangs over the gas giant Endor and its many moons. The quiet hums with potential, as if it knows of what is coming. But it keeps its silence and its secrets.

A TIE Whisper bursts through the stars, descending quick and sure towards Kef Bir, the ocean moon of Endor.

Kylo Ren leans forward in the cockpit, a sharp glower taking in the cerulean moon. His fingers flex, clenching and unclenching around the steering lever.

Voices rustle about, whispers that echo around him, whispers that have been haunting him for so long. They started a year ago, maybe before that, growing clearer ever since the Battle on Crait. And he wants done with them.

The voices intensify, a droning that pounds in his head. He closes his eyes, his expression pained. His shoulders tense, his jaw, flinching as the noise overwhelms him.

He wishes them away, as he has all these months. But the voices are ever staying. Ever calling his name.

The clouds shift as the TIE Whisper descends through the moon's atmosphere. It glides over the rolling, fog ridden lands, cresting mountains, set on course for a great beast jutting out of the distance.

As the fighter draws nearer, the mists disperse and the wreckage of the second Death Star rears up from the violent ocean. The skeletal remains loom, treacherous even as a husk of its true self.

The voices still. Free of them, Kylo takes in one deep breath. His eyes drink in the sight of what was once the most terrifying weapon in the galaxies. The power washes off it like the waves crashing against it.

_**... your heritage... your destiny... your legacy...**_

One voice that sends a thousand shivers rippling through him.

Kylo leans back in his seat, chest heaving. Whatever has been calling to him these months is here. It will bring balance to the conflict that he knows, silence the doubt and the reservations, stamp out those seeds sewed when she first came to him, seeds that bloom every time she visits him again and again.

_...Rey..._

He shakes his head, shakes away her name, as he brings his TIE Whisper down upon the Death Star's cracked surface.

The raging water sprays over the fighter. Over Kylo as he steps out onto the metal floor.

One touch of his boot and he crumples, falling on all fours, hunched over, panting. The power of this place draws him down, bends him, tries to break him. Distant echoes of the past crashes again him. Visions and memories of a time long ago, of a tale he has only ever heard. There is the voice of Luke Skywalker, the traitor, and the voice of Vader.

_... Your thoughts betray you, father. I feel the good in you...the conflict..._

_... There is no conflict ..._

_... You couldn't bring yourself to kill me before, and I don't believe you'll destroy me now ..._

_... You underestimate the power of the dark side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny ..._

The voices still. In the silence, Kylo finds the strength to rise, hair soaked, face drenched.

_**... fathers and sons always at war... break what has been ... break the cycle ...**_

_**... come ...**_

Straightening, Kylo casts a glance back at his TIE Whisper. But the voice is calling. The answers are waiting. The final piece of the past waits.

Waits to be destroyed.

Kylo traces the path of the Death Star towards its center, guided by the voices as well as the memories that should not be his. In every corner, ghosts haunt, lurking, remembering what came before. Skywalker and Vader play on repeat around him. Duelling, reconciling. Duelling, reconciling.

He passes under a ruined archway and into the decimated throne room. It teeters, falling towards the ocean, glass and stone cracked and shattered, littering the ground with debris.

The throne waits, empty, but there is a shadow remnant perched on it, the shade of the emperor, hunched forward, leering at him.

Kylo falls to his knees before it, hands clenched, head bowed. "Show me what I must do to be free of this burden."

He pounds at his chest, grits his teeth, as he surrenders his soul, his fear, his need at the feet of the past. "Help me find the path."

Those voices surge again, whispers unintelligible and chaotic. They carry such weight to them that they wrap like invisible tendrils around his legs, his arms. Like puppet strings, they draw Kylo staggering to his feet, drag him forward.

He lurches towards the throne as he is summoned. Falling into it, his hands curl around the battered, stone arms.

The voices diminish, then vanish altogether.

Only one voice trembles through him.

_**... we are the sith... we are the power... and we have chosen you...**_

The air around the throne, around Kylo hums, a deep baritone note. The slab at the back centre of the seat shifts, grinding abrasively as it slides away. Red light burns through the aperture.

Kylo averts his eyes, hand raised to block the blinding glare.

_**... claim it... claim us... your heritage... your destiny... your legacy...**_

The red light ebbs. Kylo glances back, straightening. His eyes, round and captivated, flash red like flames, reflecting the dimming glow.

He sees at last what is there, what has always been there, calling to him, waiting for him. It is the answer that he seeks.

A gloved hand reaches out. His fingers tremble, a tremor that travels from his mind, a thrill of discovery.

Electricty charges as he grazes the suspended gemstone. The air seems to flee his lungs. A jolt of pain races through him, but he stays on his feet. Enough falling, enough gasping. He is Kylo Ren. He is stronger. He is resolved.

The gem falls into his open palm and lays there, an object unmoving, yet shimmering with life.

_**... feel our power... breathe it in... let it fill you... let it claim you as you claim it...**_

Kylo clenches a fist around the gem. He knows now the path to ending the conflict within him. To become one with the Sith is to choose his destiny. To honour what came before him. To take it forward.

He closes his eyes and breathes.

It would be so easy to do. To let the whispers overwhelm him, to let them lead him.

He wouldn't have to fear anymore that he is weakening in his heart.

A gust of wind roars around him, charging through the shattered window.

He could finish what he started, establishing a new Way beyond good and evil, beyond the Jedi, beyond the First Order.

The waves of the ocean crash heavily onto the ruin. The Death Star teeters underfoot, quaking.

He would be free of all his guilt, of all the pain it brings.

Chimes twinkle, gentle and soothing, like children laughing, like choirs singing.

His eyes flash open, disoriented. The chimes grow louder than even the crashing waves, the gusting wind.

Not again.

Not now.

Not...

... "Rey"

* * *

_***author's note***_

_**Alright! Normal disclaimer is up. I don't own any of these characters or ideas... yet... ;)**_

_**Feel free to leave a review if the force so moves you.**_

_**I'm hoping to post a chapter once every five days at least. Maybe sooner than that.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	3. Chapter Two

In a galaxy light years away,  
on a planet as green as his is blue,  
in a hut as peaceful as his throne room is ravaged,  
Rey sleeps, unaware of the figure looming over her,  
watching her.

Her fingers twitch, her lips part, forming unspoken words. She tosses from side to side as an outside force roughly yanks her away from her dreams, wrenches her into reality.

Her eyes fly open. A silent cry escapes her lips as she abruptly shoots up, scrambling to her feet in a retreat. Her hand reaches up, reaches out. A low hum fills the air as her lightsaber leaps from the ground, into her hand.

Wrapping her hand about its familiar form, she brushes the trigger, but restrains herself from igniting the blade.

Of all the times for him to invade her privacy. "Do you mind?"

...

Kylo almost wishes she hadn't woken. She seemed restful, lying on the ground at his feet, a figure of calm in the ruin. Now she stands before him, as battle wearied as his surroundings.

"Do you mind?" she asks again, each word punctuated like a slap. He does his best to not look too long at the simple shift she is wearing. It hangs baggy over grey leggings.

He's reminded of the time she found him half dressed. An uncomfortable encounter for them both. An embittered laugh slips from him before he can stop it.

"Of course you blame me," he mutters, though he knows that he did not ask for this. She won't believe him if he insists on innocence; why try to convince her?

...

Rey scowls at him, standing there all tall and drenched. He's dripping water all over her mattress. Wherever he is, it's wet. That narrows it down to some hundred planets. Maybe he'll catch a cold. At least he's fully clothed. At least she is too. "I will forever demand the right to blame you for everything wrong that happens."

He gives a smile that's just a shade too eager. "So, you believe there's a forever for us?"

...

Kylo hates how eager he sounds. He's not the only one. The whispers rage again, roaring in his ears, a painful clamouring that forces him to his knees, forces the muscles in his face to clench.

His hatred changes, new loathing rising for how weak he must appear to her. Weakness he has fought so long to conceal.

"Ben?" Her voice echoes through the whispers, dispersing them, freeing him.

...

Rey almost lunges across the room to kneel at his side, to help him.

But then she remembers. All the ones he killed, all the ones he tried to kill.

The urge subsides, as quick as it came, an urge she chooses to blame him for as well.

She does not hurry to him, but her shoulders do drop, relaxing in their stance, her brows resting low over her eyes.

Kylo rises slowly from the ground, his head turned away from her, his gaze pointedly averted.

"Where are you?" she asks, wanting to take advantage of his state.

...

Kylo's shoulders tense. His gaze shifts towards her, meeting her eyes without reproach. He's impressed that she's trying to wheedle this information from him. "You first."

She shivers within the throne room, chimes twinkling around her, a soft background music. "There's no point to this," she says, her voice suddenly tired.

...

Rey doesn't mean to sound tired. The force moves through her, filling her with energy. Adrenaline doesn't lack, but her heart is wearied trying to conceal how it beats harder every time he comes. For all her wishes that he would leave her be, for all her knowledge that he won't change, every time he shows his face she hopes that this will be the one moment that brings him to her side.

"We've said all we had to say," she continues. He just stares at her, dripping onto the floor, a wild wind gusting through his soaked locks of ebony hair. "Unless you have something new—"

"I don't." His eyes glint, his fist clenching tighter around some object she can't see. Red light escapes through the cracks in his gloves.

...

Kylo follows her eyes down to his hand, to the glow slipping out. For a second, he imagines opening his palm, showing her what he holds, having her react, seeing what she will do, if she will feel the power there. Maybe she would move to strike him down. Maybe she would make this difficult choice easy.

His fist stays clenched. "How do I know you aren't the one bridging us?"

"I was sleeping," she says, folding her arms defensively. Her withering stare brings out the strength in her face, the curves of her jawline. He keeps forgetting how intimidating she can be.

...

"Maybe your dreams of me called us together," he suggests.

Rey balks at the ghost of a grin on his lips. Is he...? He can't be... "I don't dream of you. I never... I can't stand the sight of you."

That strikes the grin from his face, his mouth thinning as he turns away from her again. "I hear chimes."

It's enough to to warn her that the connection is growing, that he might be able to see her surroundings, to summon a clue from something as insignificant as the circle of cylinders dangling in her hut.

...

Her darting eyes betray the anxiety within her. Kylo feels it trembling through him too. If he can keep this connection open a little longer, maybe he will know, maybe he will see...

But then the world is shifting, the chimes dimming, her presence slipping. She's fading, forcing this to its end, as she always does.

"There's a reason this keeps happening," he calls after her.

...

His voice echoes, dim around her, as his body begins to bleed into his surroundings.

"I don't care why. I just want it to stop. Make it stop," Rey orders him, knowing that he's to blame, that his mind is the one that seeks her out. Never once in the last year did she draw him to her. And for all her attempts to close her mind, she can never stop the initial contact, only end it.

As she will now.

Turning her back on him, the world shifts back into focus, his presence fleeing like a pressure easing.

Not before he leaves her his final words, "I'm trying."

...

Alone again in the throne room, Kylo uncurls his fist. The gem pulses there, its light growing again ever more intense.

_**... take what is yours ... it will free you ...**_

He lifts the gem up, holds it within an inch of his face, on the precipice of acceptance. Breathe it in. Claim it. Then she will stop coming to him. Then he will stop wanting her to come. Wanting her to convince him to change.

_**... take ... take ... take ...**_

He falters. In that second when he can find resolve, he loses his nerve.

There's no rush. There's time to decide. For now, he will wait.

_**... coward ... **_

Kylo shrugs and slides the gem into his pocket.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three:**

Rey slips a cloak over her shift before taking leave of her hut. Dawn creeps slowly across the sky, but shadows hang still over the jungle moon of Ajan Kloss.

She stalks as silent as a phantom between the makeshift huts that hold the members of the Resistance. Her way is known, set towards a cave in the mountain rising up before her. Light dances from its entrance. Someone else is awake. Just as she hoped.

Rey passes over the threshold, the sound of gentle voices reaching out to her.

"... had left me still bare. Quite an embarrassment. Master Anakin promised to return for me when the time allowed, but it was many years before..."

Rey peers between stacks of crates. Through the cracks, she spies C-3PO, his golden body reflecting the single candle lit on the desk. General Leia Organa sits on her small cot before him, a whimsical smile on her glowing face.

Leia glances aside, past C-3PO to where Rey lurks. "We'll have to finish trespassing on days of ole another night, Threepio."

C-3PO clinks as he turns, following her gaze to Rey. He starts, blinking, his hands raised high. "Good evening, Mistress Rey! I hope I did not wake you."

Rey chuckles. "Your voice isn't that loud, Threepio." She shifts her eyes to meet Leia's. They shine up at her, curious. "It happened again. You told me to come. I hope..."

Leia's face constricts under a spasm of pain. Nodding slowly, she pats the bed beside her.

Rey moves around the boxes, answering the silent call. C-3PO shuffles off past her, Rey laying a friendly hand on his shoulder in greeting and in parting.

Leia lifts her hands as Rey sinks down beside her. Their fingers wind together in a familiar embrace. "Tell me."

Rey focuses on their held hands. "I was sleeping when I felt the pull. He was in the room already when I woke, dripping wet. And he seemed... Conflicted..."

Leia's grip on her hand tightens, her face blanching. "Conflicted? How?"

Rey closes her eyes, searching for the memory of his face, for the memory of the moment. "His face... It kept shifting. He fell at one point."

"Fell?"

Rey's eyes flutter open. Leia looks remarkably like her son in that moment, her expression vacillating between what is certain and what is not. "He wasn't hurt. He was holding something. I could feel it. Burning. Red and hot. With darkness."

"Darkness," Leia repeats, her tone defeated. She turns her head aside, glancing out of the cave, to where light is slowly breaking.

"I think it was the source of his strife. It was calling to him, but he didn't know if he wanted to answer." Rey speaks the words, but she doesn't know if they are true. They might only be her suspicion and speculation, built from what she gleaned in him. "He's fighting something. But I don't know what side he will end on. I don't believe... But I don't know..."

"It's okay." Leia slips her hands out of Rey's, lays them folded on her lap. A heavy sigh lifts her shoulders, bears them down. "He's left such wreckage in his wake. Han. Luke. And yet, I can't bring myself to hate him."

She turns misty eyes upon Rey. Eyes that mourn all her loved ones gone. Husband. Brother. Son. Eyes that still hold a faint glimmer of faith. "I don't know why I keep hoping..."

Rey reaches for Leia's hands once more, squeezing them with tender understanding. "Because hope is all we have left."

They stay that way for a while, hands held, eyes held, as day breaks the night, wondering if hope will hold out as well.

* * *

**A.N. **

_Sorry for the shorter chapter, but the next one's about three times as long, so there is balance to be found :)_

_Hope you're enjoying. Leave me a review if the force so moves you._


	5. Chapter Four

**_Chapter Four_**

Clouds of dust rise and shift in the wake of Stormtroopers marching through the forlorn streets of another ravaged town. It's a war zone, a ruin of rubble. Cries of rage and fear and desperation echo in the distance, in the direction the Stormtroopers have set themselves upon.

Two figures leap stealthily across the street behind them, lithely traipsing from one ravaged building to the next. Hooded, they wind their way through the alleys and streets, towards the raised voices, darting through the shadows of the walls.

The cries grow louder, their panic clearer, the anger in them building.

The figures stop against one of the more sturdy standing structures, chests heaving beneath their cloaks. A hood falls down.

Poe Dameron grimaces at the noise pierces his ears. His face is dishevelled, a shadow around his chin and cheeks where scruff marks the beginning of a beard. He glances around the corner of this building and spies an open square, a group of some three dozen villagers herded together, on their knees before Stormtroopers. He counts quickly. There are at least twenty of those white armoured bastards standing guard. In his world, they call that overkill.

The figure beside him lowers his hood too. Finn's eyes glint wth reckless daring as he peers around the other corner of this building. "So what do you think?" he asks Poe. "Is this going to be like Laravar? Or is it more of a Uloria situation?"

"I'd call it a 'we're outnumbered' scenario," Poe answers grimly. He scratches anxiously at his head. They've been at this for weeks now, jumping from one town to another across the planet Norala, freeing them from the martial rule of the First Order. This is the last one before they can finally return to the Resistance Base—what stands for home in these days.

And it promises to be a challenge.

"So, we're looking at another Teracen. Got it." Finn raises a comlink to his mouth, poised to call down the Resistance force waiting in the hills.

Poe grabs at his hand, restraining Finn can give the order. He's getting another idea, one growing in tandem with the rabble in the square beyond.

Finn glances at the fingers wrapped around his wrist, then at Poe. "Is now really the time?"

Poe gives him a crooked grin. It's been a long hard three months of a mission, but it's all been bearable. Because of Finn. Three months on the move, jumping from town to town, has been worth the time it's won for them. He and Finn. Time and proximity needed to explore the rhythm between them. But Finn's right: now is not the time. "I think this might be another Narfyr."

Finn's brow furrows, losing the humour in his expression. "I don't know, Poe. Seems a little risky..."

"There was no anger in Laravar or Uloria or Teracen. Not like this," Poe says. "It's a different fire. If we spark it right, we won't be eight against twenty. We'll be almost fifty." A lesson he learned from Leia. Liberating these towns isn't enough. These people need to be ready to protect themselves should the First Order come again. The other towns were already steeped in defeat. In Narfyr, they had found a group of rebels already forming a plan to throw off the overlords. There isn't any of that here, but the outward contempt means there was hope. And that's worth something in the larger fight.

"So who goes? Do I go?"

Poe smirks at Finn. Squeezing his shoulder, he shakes his head. "You stay here. I'll catch you later."

"Don't get blasted."

#

Finn breathes in once, shakily, as Poe darts off. He folds into the wall to wait, anxiety an uncomfortable companion. But he doesn't have long to wait.

A Trooper appears on his left, an uncounted sentry. Spotting Finn, it takes aim.

Finn leaps from the wall, blaster out. "So, it's going to be like Craes, is it?"

Before he can take his shot, the Trooper freezes, lowers its weapon. "FN-2187?"

Finn's eyes narrow, but he keeps his blaster firm in hand. "Not anymore."

The Trooper slides his blaster away and raises his hands in a gesture Finn understands to be surrender, but it is more than that. Something that can shift the tides.

Those raised hands plant themselves on either side of his head and lifts the helmet off it.

Beneath it is the face of a dark-skinned man with shorn hair. Sweat slips from his forehead, but his eyes glow with excitement.

Finn recognizes him at once. His eyes widen in surprise. "FN-2234?"

"So the legends are true."

It's like someone has lit a fire within Finn, one burning with hope. FN-2234 was one of the Troopers he was trained with. Someone who was plucked from the same world as he. Someone he had grown up knowing. Someone he had mourned losing when he had chosen to leave. Is it Fate that has brought them together again? No. The shifting in the wind, a subtle rippling. It is the Force.

#

Poe crouches down behind a barrel on the opposite end of the square. He takes a deep breath, swallows down the lump of nerves that always manages to rise in his throat when he's on the cusp of peril. It's worse today, because he's dependant on power beyond his own. And he never likes losing control. If this goes the way he hopes, it'll all be worth it.

Slipping his blaster free, he's just about to launch his plan when his comlink crackles to life.

Finn's voice echoes out of it, "Change of plan, Poe. Lie low. I got this one."

Poe bites his lip. That lump in his throat is threatening his ability to breathe. "What's going on, buddy? What are we doing now?"

"Something completely new."

Poe swivels his head to watch as Finn emerges onto the square, a Stormtrooper at his back, a blaster aimed at his head.

It's all he can do to keep himself from leaping out of his hiding place and racing off to the rescue. He's supposed to trust Finn—he does trust him—but he hates this helplessness, this feeling of being sidelined.

"I hope you know what you're doing, buddy."

#

Finn glances aside as he's prodded towards the gathered villagers. With his hands held up behind his head, he can't crane his neck far enough to see Poe. He knows this is a big ask, but Poe's come a long way from his hotheaded days. He'll listen.

"Look what I found," FN-2234 says, his voice muffled beneath the helmet. He prods Finn hard in the back. Finn nearly falls as he stumbles forward with the impact. "An old friend."

A few Troopers shuffle anxiously. The name 'FN-2187' ripples through the crowd. He nods at them, face stoic, 'feeling' their uncertainty. It's just as FN-2234 said. There is unrest in the First Order. There is doubt sowing seeds. There is hope to be found in it.

The Commander of this squad wears a red band on hi shoulder. He levels his blaster at Finn's head. "Traitorous scum. Murderer. Let your death be a lesson to any others who might consider desertion. Kneel!"

Apparently, someone isn't happy that Finn killed Phasma.

FN-2234 forces Finn onto his knees.

#

Across the way, Poe raises his own blaster, teeth gritted. He's reach the limit of his trust. He's an inch off the ground when the Trooper behind shifts Poe. He lifts his blaster, aims it at his Commander. One shot takes the Trooper in the head and he falls, dead to the worn ground.

Poe hesitates. He's not the only one. The whole of the square has fallen still as if under a spell, wavering in the wake of something so unexpected.

#

FN-2234 addresses the crowd of his fellows. "I know we've all been talking about making a stand. Well, this is our moment. Finn is here for a reason." He removes his helmet as he had before. "Who will stand with me? Who will take this moment?"

One by one, the Stormtroopers take off their helmets, dropping them on the ground until each one of them has bared their faces for the masses.

Finn surveys them all. He recognizes most of them. People he grew with, people he found love with, people he suffered beside. There is a whispering on the wind, a thrill of something new.

The crowd of villagers look around them, eyes darting, at once in bewilderment, at once in disbelief. They do not yet realize that they are safe.

Finn stretches out a hand towards them. "Don't be afraid. The danger is past. You're free."

"Finn?"

He turns from the crowd and the Troopers, beaming broadly at his friend, his Poe. "What do you think? Not bad, right?"

#

On the grand scheme, not bad at all. But Poe can't help the tremor of unease running through him. It was too easy a victory. Too clean. This last town was supposed to be the hardest to break. Now, the bare-faced Stormtroopers are gathering away from the villagers, leaving the Harylians to move free. He needs to talk to them, to call in the rest of the Resistance, to make sure this place is secure before they leave. But he also needs to talk to Finn. "Uh, sure. Look, can I have a word in private, buddy?"

He eyes the Stormtrooper who fired the killing shot over Finn's shoulder. Chestnut eyes that are remarkably like Finn's blink at him, asking a question Poe can't quite place.

Finn follows him off a few paces, enough of a distance to ensure that their conversation will go unheard by unwanted ears. "Something wrong?" Finn asks.

"I mean, it's impressive. This coup or whatever, but are you sure we can trust these guys? I mean, it could be a trap. They could be trying to lower our defences before they strike."

An annoyingly placating grin spreads across Finn's lips. "I know you would have been happy to shoot some things up. But this is better. They want to join the Resistance."

"Woah, woah, woah!" Poe lifts his hands as if they might magically stop this wreck in its tracks. "I don't know what they said or what your history with them is, but we can't bring them with us. That's too much of a risk."

Finn has to understand. Maybe these Stormtroopers mean well—and that's not a thought he's comfortable with—but for the chance that it's a sneaky way of winning the location of the Resistance base, they have to be left behind. Or shipped off to the war prisoner base Leia had them set up in the Outer Rim.

#

Poe has to understand. Finn felt something. He knows that when they say they are done with the First Order, they mean it. This is a chance to grow their diminished numbers. To rebuild the Resistance.

"I was just like them once," Finn reminds Poe. "They are like me. I seem to remember you being quick to trust me when I rescued you from Kylo Ren."

"That was my life, Finn. Not the lives of all our friends," Poe argues. "The risks are higher."

"So you should know I wouldn't say this lightly." Finn reaches out, cups Poe's cheek in a tender, but firm, hold. "I know that they want to help. I know they won't betray us. Trust me."

Poe slides his hand up to cover Finn's, sighing heavily. "I do, but you'll need to get Leia's approval."

Finn beams. "Not a problem." He leans his forehead it, rests it for a breath against Poe's. "This is how we win," he says.

#

Poe trembles at the slightest touch of Finn's skin against his. It works into his heart, breaks him down. Then he's gone again, rushing back to greet his old friends, those men and women he once trained to fight the Resistance with.

The Commander killer claps Finn on the back, presses their foreheads together.

A feeling that is neither mistrust or anger ripples through Poe.

Finn glances back at him, gestures him to join them. Poe sags. "I have a bad feeling about this," he mutters to himself before answering the summons.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Friends, I have to apologize for not posting on the fifth day as promised. I got struck down by a bad cold and was out of commission for a few days. But I'm on the upside of this downturn and I'll have the next chapter up on the 30th as if there was no blip.

Thanks for sticking with :)


	6. Chapter Five

Admiral Hux leers out the great window of the bridge, staring out onto the vast expanse of space beyond it, waiting. He's aware that his hands are clasped behind his back, of his straight posture, of his furrowed brow. What he's not aware of is the tapping of his toe on the shiny surface or the crew behind him intently watching his boot rise and fall to some rhythmic beat.

And then it comes, bursting out of hyperspace, into view of the Leviathan—the new flag ship of the First Order—that blasted TIE Whisper.

A low snarl escapes Hux's curled lips at the sight of the lone ship set on course towards them.

It dawns on him then that there had been a tapping sound. But he can't hear it anymore. If he looked down, he might realized his grounded foot was the culprit. But he can't tear his gaze from the ship. And now he can't hear anything besides his own grumbling thoughts. Angered cries baying for Ren's blood.

"Excuse me? Admiral Hux?"

He shifts his gaze away from the window, to glower down at a snivelling man. Browk. Hux pulls his name from the deep recess of his mind. A new recruit whose a bit too green for his own good. If he survives the next few weeks of this war, it'll be a miracle. "What is it?"

"The Council's ready for you," Browk squeaks.

Hux rolls his eyes. "Tell them I'll be there soon. I have something to see to first."

He doesn't wait for Browk to accept the order; there's no refusing him. Turning on his heel, he strides off the bridge.

A collective sigh echoes once he's gone.

#

The TIE Whisper settles down on the hanger and hums into sleep. Kylo steps out of the craft, low whispers still haunting him. They haven't stopped. They won't stop, either. That is their threat. They will keep at him until he gives in.

_**... destiny... power... take it already...**_

"Oh, shut up," Kylo mutters. Not that it's helped any of the times he's said it before.

But they do fall silent. As another voice shouts across the cavernous space, echoing cold and mirthless.

"Back, are we?"

Kylo clenches his fist. He almost leaps back into the cockpit of his Whisper and takes off again. Was it too much to hope to not have to face this man every time he came back?

Evidently.

"Don't sound so sad." Kylo faces Hux as the ratlike Admiral treads a slow, predatorial pace towards him.

"I had hoped," Hux says, his words falling just as slowly, "for some deep, grievous wound at least."

"No luck." Kylo gives him an apologetic shrug.

"Pity."

_**...kill him...**_

Kylo grins, a secret smile that fades to a frown as Hux's expression grows ever uglier with its malice and contempt. He's not sure why he's put up with this man all this time. Well, he has a sense. They have a history, rose together through the ranks. And he knows this enemy. Hux is the safer option to keep around. One arm to take care of the war side of thing, while he focuses on finding some balance in himself.

Besides, Hux's bark has always been far worse than his bite. A man far happier to spew words of venom than actually take up a blaster and do something.

"And what have you been up to while I've been away?"

Hux scoffs at the question. "Like you care."

Surprisingly, he does. Just not for a reason Hux should ever even guess. "Did you find their base?"

Hux rolls his eyes, blissfully oblivious. "Not yet. But it's only a matter of time before we blow her out of the sky."

Kylo raises a hand, his fingers curling. Hux splutters, choking, rising of the ground.

_**...yes... kill him...**_

Hux flails his legs as he's slowly strangled by an invisible force, his fingers fumbling to free himself of an enemy he can see, but cannot fight.

"You will not move against the base unless I give the order," Kylo says, slowly laying the warning out. But there is a bite of urgency he is keeping swallowed down. One that may betray him yet.

His fingers unfurl and Hux is released, falling to the ground with a heavy thud. The rat pants there, coughing as air is his once more to breathe without restraint. His dark eyes glower up at Kylo, unashamed of their deep contempt. "As you command, Supreme Leader," he spits bitterly.

_**... coward...**_

Kylo shakes away the insult as he turns towards his inner sanctum, a place he can be undisturbed, a place to think.

#

If his hatred was a blade, it would have punctured Kylo a thousand times. If his hatred was a blaster, it would have blown him apart.

There are no shortage of deaths that Hux could imagine for Kylo Ren. He is no Supreme Leader. Too weak to finish this war. Yet too strong for Hux to kill. But if the power was his...

_**... what would you do if the power was yours, admiral hux? ...**_

Hux starts up, stares around him, looking for the body behind the voice, but there's no body. And maybe there was no voice. Just something he's imagined.

_**... if we promised you power, what would you do with it?...**_

_**... would you kill him?...**_

_**... would you take on the legacy of the sith?...**_

The Sith? That old dream. Hux understands now. Ren is playing with him. He turns back to show that he's no fool, but Ren is gone too. There's no one else in the hanger.

#

Kylo falters a little as the gem in his pocket shifts, as if the power in it has gone, but then it's back again, a weight for him to bear for now.

And he doesn't think anything else of it.


	7. Chapter Six

**CHAPTER SIX:**

**.**

**.**

**A.N. Apologies for the longer wait! As way of apology, another chapter will be up tomorrow. You can count on that ;)**

**.**

**.**

Back on Ajan Kloss, Rey weaves through a crowd of resistance fighters. She nods and exchanges fleeting greetings with them as she passes. Over the year, she's become friends with these people, learned to trust them as they have her. Their faces are familiar, comforting, but there's one in particular she's seeking out today.

"Rey! Hey!" Of course, Rose Tico spots her first.

Rey darts over as Rose beckons her over. She'll never say it aloud—to spare Finn and Poe—but of all the friends she's made, it's Rose she feels closest to. Rose whose great capacity for empathy and compassion bestowed her with a kind heart that's been open to Rey all this year. It's that empathy, that compassion, that kind heart, that Rey turns to now.

"You look like you're in good spirits," Rey says in ways of greeting.

There's a certain glow about Rose that's more than just the lights shining from the circle of device screens around her.

Rose nods eagerly. "I just got word from Poe. He and Finn are on the way. They're expecting to be home by nightfall."

A lightness of spirt expands through Rey too. She just knew seeking out Rose was the right thing today. "That's great news."

Beaming—not as brightly as Rose—she sinks into a free chair. Her eyes scan the screens, looking for a sign of something. She's not sure what she's looking for. On a subconscious level, she does. She doesn't want to admit it to herself.

Rose taps a screen on the far left. "A few more people have responded to our call for help."

"That's good," Rey says, absentmindedly. "And the First Order? Any news on them?"

Rose shakes her head, frowning slightly. She looks suddenly very worn, the glow fading around her. "They're up to something, though. The quiet is just a breath before the storm."

"Is there anything I can help with?" Rey could use some direction. Ever since her last meeting with Kylo, she's been fighting a rise of agitation, and the sense of being untethered. She's felt helpless and useless, in desperate need of a purpose.

"You're already doing so much."

"Am I?" Rey can't see how that's true. She's been present here, helping when she can, where she can, but she should be more than just an extra pair of hands.

Rose, ever the soul of sympathy, rests a supportive hand on Rey's shoulder. "If not for you, we'd all be dead on Crait."

"That was a year ago. I haven't done much since."

"No," Rose muses sarcastically. "Only helped us find a new base, helped us rebuild, kept fighting the good fight." She counts off each as she goes. "Why are you so hard on yourself?"

Rey shrugs. "It's not that... I just..." It's almost on her tongue, the fear that's in her heart.

It's like Rose can see it. "I'm happy to hear it."

Rey looks into eyes shining with friendship. They pull the words free from her. The fear that has filled her with this wayward feeling, that planted in her an itch to go. "It's Kylo Ren. I'm afraid he'll find out we're here because of me."

"I think you're stronger than that. I know a bit about the connection." Everything Rose knows is what Rey herself has told her. "I believe that you could stop it if you wanted to. But," Rose's eyes are suddenly sharp with thoughtfulness, "maybe you don't want to."

Rey balks at that. "Of course, I want to stop it. I hate having him in my head." The anger in her voice has nothing to do with Rose. The frustration is all fo her and the situation she's in. Rose doesn't deserve it. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Rose assures her. "I didn't mean that you like having him in your head. But I think, deep down, you want to reach him, to change him. Leia wants it too. And she—and I agree—believes you're the only one who can. There's something good in that, Rey. And if you can change him, this whole war might end differently. Quicker."

Rey hears the wisdom in Rose's words. She feels in them a truth that she's buried deep in her own heart. Maybe it's because of the legends she knows, of Luke and his father, of the Anakin Skywalker beneath the Vader mask. Maybe she shouldn't be running. Maybe she shouldn't be fighting.

It didn't work the last time she tried to reach to him. He'd tried to destroy her, destroy her friends. But she can try again. One last time.

"Thanks, Rose."

Rose grins. "Anytime."

"I'll let you be."

"Why don't you stay," Rose insists as Rey makes to leave. "It would be nice to have some company."

So, Rey stays, a different sort of weight resting over her now. Not one of fear. But one of desperate hope.

* * *

**AN: Hope you enjoyed this newest instalment. Leave a review if the Force so moves you ;)**


	8. Chapter Seven

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

**A.N. As promised, here's another chapter to round out this weekend :)**

Poe squirms uncomfortably in the cockpit, trying not to glance over at Finn. He's already failed twenty-odd times to avoid staring. And he's bound to fail this time too.

On cue, his gaze slips away, towards the stoic figure in the co-pilot seat at his right. As with every time before, Finn's eyes are set straight ahead, his jaw clenched, his brow low.

Poe's getting tired of this. This avoidance. This discomfort. He opens his mouth, but the words he wants to say are nowhere to be found. He swallows down the words that don't exist and glances forward again, out at the whirling word of hyperspace.

Finn shifts his gaze left, a subtle look out of the corner of his eye. He purses his lips, debating the pros and cons of speaking up. His mouth parts, just barely, then rigidly sets itself shut again. There's nothing to say. No words to fix what's been broken between them.

It takes a handful of moments before the two of them take a glance at the other at the same moment. The surprise of meeting gazes holds them there. And forces words out at last.

"I'm sorry, Finn. Really," Poe speaks first.

Finn shrugs. "Yeah. Sure."

Poe takes a deep breath, resolve building to keep the conversations going. "Leia's right, you know?"

"Okay."

"It's better this way."

"If you say so."

Poe grits his teeth against Finn's cold front. "Whatever it is you want to say, say it now. Please. I can't stand this anymore."

Finn flinches, but manages to throw daggers back at Poe. "Oh, you can't take it?" He scoffs. "Those are my friends you just had shipped off to a prison camp."

—"Temporarily," Poe throws in—

Finn talks over him. "How does that make us better than the First Order?"

"This isn't—"

"You said you trusted me."

"I do, but I—"

"You just couldn't choose me over Leia."

It's Poe's turn to cringe. He rubs a wearied hand over his forehead. "It's not like that. You know it's not."

"Just because you say it's not, doesn't make it so," Finn says coolly, turning away from him, eyes set out the window.

So much for that hope of winning Finn back to his side before they arrived at base. If only Poe could find the right words, the ones to make things good between them again. It's starting to feel like those words don't exist, or that it will take a miracle to find them.

He takes a leap of faith that they are in his grasp. "Once we arrive, we'll find Leia. We'll talk to her. Figure it out. I promise. We won't abandon them there."

Finn gives no reply, feigning deafness against Poe's pleas.

Silence holds them in the cockpit again...

...and lingers until they burst out of hyperspace, Ajan Kloss rising up before them.

Finn breaks the tension this time. "I do plan to talk to Leia, to figure it out. But I don't want your help."

He slips out of the cockpit, leaving Poe with a metaphorical knife wedged in between his ribs. A strike, a wound, Poe dismally recognizes as one he deserves.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

**AN: I'm on time for once ;) All this setup will lead somewhere, I promise. And the next chapter will have more Rey/Kylo. So stick around**

**xx**

* * *

An armada of ships descend over Ajan Kloss, breaking through the planet's atmosphere, coming in for a landing.

Cheers pour forth from the crowd eagerly gathered. Rey, Rose, and Leia stand at the front of those assembled, glowing with beaming smiles. Relief ripples through the group as they prepare to greet their returning friends.

Poe and Finn descend together from the main ship, but they couldn't be further apart. There seems to be a world between them.

Rey remains oblivious to it as she rushes forward, sweeping them each up in an embrace of true companionship.

Finn is first. His arms wrap around her, just as tight, just as grateful to see her there safe. He's missed her the most during this long time away, the girl who changed his life for the better, who brought him purpose. She never turned her back on him. It's good to know you can count on some people. "Missed you too, Rey," he murmurs into her shoulder. Glancing up, he catches sight of Rose.

She waves at him. "Hey, Finn."

Finn slips away from Rey to pull Rose into a hug.

Poe steps up to take Finn's place, falling gratefully into Rey's offer of friendship. It's good to not be hated by everyone.

"You look tired," Rey says, taking in his haggard appearance and unattended scruff.

Poe shrugs. "You don't look so amazing yourself."

She punches him gently in the shoulder. He chuckles, but it's only half-hearted as his eyes slip past her, towards Finn who's amicably chatting with Rose.

"You must be glad to be home," Rey says.

"Yeah. Glad," he mumbles absentmindedly.

Rey narrows her eyes, throwing a look behind her, following Poe's regard. Before she can ask what's going on, Leia surges forward from the crowd, arms outstretched.

Poe smiles a bit wider as he falls into her easy embrace.

"It's good to see you home safe," Leia says.

The initial relief at seeing Leia, his mentor, his General, slips away. He hangs his head.

Leia and Rey share a quick, quizzical glance.

"Something to share, Poe?" Leia asks.

Poe glances up, but then past her again. It's like Finn is a magnet, ever drawing his gaze.

Finn's staring at him too, throwing daggers his way.

Poe clenches his jaw and averts his gaze. "Not me, but Finn wants a word with you."

Leia's eyes glow with understanding and resignation. Sighing heavily, she pats Poe's shoulder affectionately. "I'll see to him first, then. Are you sure you shouldn't be present for this?"

"I think it's best I'm not."

"Then, you'll debrief me later." She gives his cheek a gentle pat, before slipping away. Even in her older age, she is a graceful figure, full of poise and power.

Poe forces himself not to watch as she reaches Finn, his face scrunching up as if in pain.

Rey steps forward again, concern now swirling through her. If she focuses, she can sense the depth of his despair echoing in the Force, an unbalance of spirt and heart that she's never associated with him before. "What happened?"

Poe gives her a defeated shrug. "I made a mistake."

Rey smiles slyly. "That doesn't surprise me. You want to be a bit more specific?"

Poe actually laughs at that, but even this sounds wrong, wretched with misgiving. "I chose a side."

"The wrong one, I'm guessing."

"It didn't seem wrong at the time."

"It never does," Rey muses. She's not really talking about Poe anymore. Not just him, anyway. She stops her thoughts from focusing too much on the boy in the mask lest she draw him here.

There will be time for that later.

#

In the caves that Leia has made her personal base, Finn paces anxiously. He's made his plea to her, laid out his heart, his fears. She's sitting, pensively thoughtful, watching him in his agitated state, annoyingly imperceptible in expression and mood.

At last, she straightens. And Finn pauses. Her face is no longer a mask, somehow able to display at once severity and compassion.

"It is not a matter of trust, Finn," she says. "I trust you, as Poe does. But I simply cannot risk bringing in people if I cannot be absolutely certain of their intentions."

"But I am absolutely certain," Finn insists. He's careful not to let the ripple of anger in his chest come through in his words or demeanour. "I know they can be trusted. It's more than just a feeling. It's... I can't explain it... But, I think it's the Force. It brought me to that place as it did them. It brought us together for a purpose."

Leia takes one deep, shaky breath. "The Force is not always easy to understand—"

"Maybe not for you, but I got it loud and clear." He balks at once, realizing that he's stepped out of line. Biting his lip, he starts to apologize, but she silences him with a raised hand.

"I understand your frustration, Finn, but we don't have time to argue about this. Let us agree to disagree for now. Meanwhile, I have requested that the Troopers be treated with respect. I will reach out to those in charge of the facility and ask that your former companions be given a chance to prove their intentions. If they are found to be trustworthy, I will see them released and sent here to join our forces. Will you accept this compromise?"

Irritation and defeat mingle in Finn. On one hand, he cannot get past Leia's stubborn headedness—Poe certainly must have learned it from her. The Resistance is in need of bodies, of people to join the fight against the First Order. He also knows that Leia, General Organa, doesn't have to compromise with him. She has given him time to speak, has heard him out, has proposed a plan. He should accept it. Be grateful for it.

"Fine," he says, his tone unashamedly cold. He can be grateful and still show his true heart. "Yes. Thank you."

Leia rises slowly. She steps towards him and lays a hand on his shoulder. "I hope it works out in your favour, Finn. Truly I do. But in the meantime, don't hold it against him."

Finn blinks at the knowing twinkle in her eyes. "I'll try not to," he says, but his heart isn't in it. It's not that he likes holding a grudge, but he's not ready to forgive Poe entirely. Not yet.

* * *

**Leave a review if the Force so moves you :)**


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

**AN: Almost thought I wasn't going to get this one up in time, but here it is! And things are finally getting... interesting ;)**

* * *

Chapter Nine:

Rey wanders alone through the Resistance base as night falls steadily over Ajan Kloss. She spots Poe in the distance, near the line of trees, BB-8 beeping and whirring excitedly at his knees. She sees Finn too, standing a ways from Poe but watching him with unblinking eyes. Smiling knowingly, she turns away from the pair of them and keeps on her path. She trusts they can fix whatever is broken between them. Now is not the time for friends to fall apart.

Rose passes her, heading in the opposite direction. "Are you okay, Rey?"

Rey nods, but her expression remains distracted. "Did Finn tell you anything more about what happened?"

"Very little," Rose says, pursing her lips. "It's bad enough, whatever it is."

"Let's hope they get over it quickly."

Bidding each other good night, the girls continue on their set courses. Stepping into her hut, Rey breathes in deep, sighs out heavily. This is it. One last time. For Leia.

She closes her door and bolts it shut. A precaution. With determination aglow in her heart, Rey kneels down on the ground and closes her eyes.

#

Kylo strides through the Leviathan's corridors. Hux steps out into his path, just ahead. "Supreme Leader."

"Hux." Kylo grants him the barest nod, marches on past him, only to stop when a staying hand tightens on his shoulder. "Let me go."

The hand retreats, and Hux comes around him, stance erect, hands entwined behind his back. "I was hoping for a word."

"You've now had eight. That should suffice."

Kylo glides past him, uninterested in being drawn into a conversation with that weasel of a Commander.

"We've lost hold of Norala."

Kylo stops, teeth gritted in impatience. If it must be faced, let it be done with quickly. "What?"

"The planet Norala. We've lost our hold on it," Hux repeats.

Kylo blinks. "I wasn't aware we had a hold on it."

Hux clenches his jaws. "Well, now, of course you didn't. You've been far too busy dancing around the galaxies on a search for Maker knows what—" His words are stolen from him as is his breath.

Kylo wrenches him off the ground, strangling him. No matter how many times he's forced his authors on Hux, the weasel just won't learn. Maybe it would be easier to just snap his neck and be done with it.

Haven't you killed enough people already?

Kylo releases his hold on Hux, staggering as her voice echoes in his head. He turns around, scanning the area. Rey is not there, but her presence is with him, and it stops him.

Hux splutters on the floor, coughing abrasively. "Will you stop doing that?

Kylo glowers down at him. "Only if you'll stop getting in my way."

"How am I getting in your way?" Hux demands, staggering unevenly to his feet. "Tell me how."

"Just by being."

Hux gives a bitter laugh. "Oh. You are..." He eyes Kylo's curling hands warily. "If the sight of me is so dreadful, why not give me more power. Not over you. But as an equal. Master of the military. Give me complete control to make decisions about where we attack and how. Then you can be free to travel about as you will."

Kylo wags a warning finger at him. "That speaks of treachery. Careful, Hux. Or the next time you find yourself strangled in my hold, you will never taste air again."

Hux clears his throat, clutches his neck. "I only mean to help you, Supreme Leader."

Kylo scoffs. "Let's not lie to each other, Hux. We've only ever helped ourselves."

"So, we have," Hux agrees.

There's an embittered laugh they share. One that recognizes a little of themselves in the other, one that hates all the other stands for.

"Don't make me kill you," Kylo says, sweeping away, never hearing Hux's reply.

#

Alone in his chambers, Kylo paces back and forth before the bust upon which is perched the mangled mask of his grand sire, Darth Vader. The red stone of the Sith sits beside it, its red glow casting a damning halo upon his conflicted self.

_**... choose us, choose us, or we will find another ...**_

Kylo stops abruptly, sneers down at the stone. "Who could you possibly choose?"

_**... afraid? ...**_

Kylo's face is impassive. "Not at all."

_**... then choose us. now ...**_

Kylo steps forward, drawn in by the stone, by the promise they offer. But something holds him back. Someone.

"Kylo Ren?"

Her voice is in his head again. Or is it? It seems to echo in the room around him.

"Ben Solo?"

He flinches and turns. She is there, kneeling on the ground, staring up at him through eyes narrowed with uncertainty.

"I didn't do it," he says, a promise of his innocence.

She smiles snidely and rises. "I know. I did."

He blinks at her, taken aback by this easy admission.

"You weren't expecting that, were you?" Her smile is almost mischievous.

He will not admit it to anyone, barely wants to admit it to himself, but seeing her eases the tension in his chest, brings him peace where there has been turmoil. "I don't suppose that means you've reconsidered my request to join with me."

"I'm here to make one last request for you to join me."

"A request I must as ever refuse."

The smile she wore vanishes, replaced with a scowl. "I knew it was hopeless."

"Then, why are you here?"

Rey turns her back on him. The sound of wind chimes grows louder. If he squints hard enough he can almost see them, hanging over her head, just a little to the left.

"Because your mother refuses to lose hope," she says at last.

It's amazing how those words manage to strike him a blow. He nearly trips backwards at the force of it.

#

Hearing his small gasp, his low fumble, Rey turns back. Impossibly, she sees the mask standing on a raised platform behind him.

He stares from her to the mask. "You can see it?"

She nods, retreating from him.

He steps towards her. With every step he takes forward, she takes a few more back, ready to claim her lightsaber, defend herself. But she doesn't sense any danger in the Force. Only, a subtle curiosity.

His hand lifts, wraps around the wind chimes. He tugs them down.

#

The chimes lay in his open palm.

"How...?"

"Our connection keeps growing stronger."

She shakes her head, her face struck with horror. "No... This isn't what I wanted..."

Charging forward, she surges past him.

#

On Ajan Kloss, Rey's feet carry her through the village, towards the forest.

#

Kylo gives chases, pursuing her out of his chamber and through the Leviathan's corridors.

Hux steps out of a side passage. Kylo collides with him, but barrels on. "Out of my way!"

Hux scoffs as Kylo dashes off. "Rude." He brushes himself and pauses. He was going to take that corridor Kylo's disappeared down, but he's not keen on bumping into him again. He'll wait a bit longer...

_**.****.. hux, why do you let him make you feel so small? ...**_

Hux turns in the other direction, staring down the long passage.

_**... we can make you strong ...**_

_**... we can make you powerful ...**_

_**... more powerful than kylo ren ...**_

Hux's eyes gleam with the idea. It is all he has ever dreamed of. All he has ever wanted. "I'm listening."

_**... come ...**_

He follows the voice as it guides him into Kylo's quarters.

The red jewel brilliantly beams beside the mask there.

_**... claim it. claim us. become more ...**_

Hux towers over the gem. His fingers dance upon its surface. It thrills beneath his touch, alive and charged with so much might. With power like this, he will never need to bow before Kylo Ren again.

He enfolds the gem in his hand. At once, he is enveloped in a glaring red glow. He falls to his knees, overwhelmed as power flows into him, coursing through him. He contorts in pain as it burns through him. He cries out in agony, as the red power courses through his veins, wraps itself around his bones, stitches itself into every inch of his self.

_**... we are one ...**_

The red light fades. Hux is left crouched on all fours on the ground. _**... one ...**_ he hisses.

_**... now, kill kylo ren ...**_

Hux looks up. His eyes bursting with red flames.

* * *

**AN: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, dear readers. Leave a comment if the Force inspires you :)**


	11. Chapter Ten

**CHAPTER TEN:**

* * *

Rey plunges into the forest. Her chest heaves, not with the effort of running, but from the pulsing anxiety. She can hear him calling her name. Why won't he let her be? Why hasn't he disappeared yet?

"Rey! Wait. Please. Stop."

She has no plans on stopping. She'll press on until she can't anymore.

It doesn't take long to reach that point. Three more steps and she barrels into some invisible obstruction.

.

Kylo stops too as Rey is sent sprawling to the floor. He can see what she couldn't, his TIE fighter in the Leviathan's hangar. "Are you okay?"

She scrambles up onto her feet, rounds on him, eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't me," he says, pointing insistently behind her.

.

Rey throws a quick glance behind her. The gasp rips from her before she can stop herself. She sees it now, in the middle of the forest, a TIE fighter. She runs a hand over it, feeling the cool structure. Her hand retreats as if it's been bitten.

She flips around. "What can you see?"

.

He gives his surroundings a quick once-over. "Just you," he replies, keeping to himself the sounds of whistling wind and rustling leaves, the smells of earth and air, that are gradually becoming more pronounced.

Her eyes dart from side to side.

.

In the forest, more ships are manifesting. The hangar is coming into sharp relief around her, until it looks like she's standing in the space ship, the trees encroaching on a place they don't belong. "Why is this happening?"

She closes her eyes, drawing deep breaths in, focusing on slipping away.

.

It works. Kylo lurches forward as her form flickers and fades, as she pulls away from him. "Wait!" he calls again. He hates the desperate tone that cracks through his voice. But he knows now that if he lets her go, they will not meet again unless it is in battle. "Did you really only come because of my mother?"

Rey's eyes fly open. She solidifies again. Relief ripples through him.

.

Eyes narrowed in suspicion, she considers his question. "Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know." She shakes her head, stares around herself. The forest is more pronounced than the hangar again, but the TIE fighter lurks behind her still. It could be a sign. That she's still in control. That... "Do I have a hope?"

He blinks at her. "Of changing me?"

.

She nods, so subtly, her eyes boring into his, imploring him to consider. He has to avert his gaze, unable to hold the power of her stare. "Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know."

He finds the courage to look up again.

For one long, pondering moment, they hold each other's gazes.

.

Rey feels something in her stir, something in the Force. She looks away, clears her throat, breathing shakily. She can feel all the pressure resting on this moment. Her heart hammers with the wish to hold to hope. If she doesn't speak, that hope will linger. If she does, it might all be lost. There is courage required in opening that box. And open it, she does. "You spoke once of escaping the past. We could build something new together. Once we dismantle the First Order."

"And what of the Resistance? The Jedi? Will we dismantle them too?

She flinches at the bitterness in his tone. But hope hasn't fully broken yet. There are tendrils to cling to. "The Resistance will dissolve when they have nothing left to fight. And the Jedi are all but gone as it is."

He scoffs at that, fists his hands at his side. Frustration burns in his eyes. "Our visions fo the future are not the same. Why are we pretending that we will ever see eye to eye?"

The TIE fighter is fading as is her hope. She's losing this chance. Maybe it was lost before she ever started. "So that's it? You are Supreme Leader? And I am Resistance? And so we are Enemies?"

"As we ever were," he says coolly.

"I don't believe you. He chased her. He called for her. Why would he do that if he some part of him didn't want for more? She reaches with the Force, seeking out the conflict that wars within him. She can feel it, as she did once when he first captured her, the fear and uncertainty that dwells down deep. And she feels it more than ever she has. The two sides of him. Kylo Ren. Ben Solo.

.

Her soft defeat calms that surge of irritation. He feels her reaching for him, feels in her in turn an earnestness to win him over. For a breath, he wants to believe. But it is just a dream. "I offered you my hand once. You turned it down."

"I turned down Kylo Ren. But I would have accepted Ben Solo. I still would." Her hand stretches out. "Be with me, Ben. Join me. Let's stop this war. Let's see the rise of a new dawn."

He stares long and hard at her hand across the divide between them, a gap that seems to be forever widening in its breadth. His fingers flex, the conflict in him radiating like the rays of the sun.

So invested is he in this moment, he cannot hear the footsteps padding on the floor behind him, cannot sense the intention of the unknown figure. He senses nothing until it's too late.

A blaster goes off. His quick reflexes are the only thing that saves him, and the bolt that meant to take him through the heart only catches his left shoulder.

Grunting in pain, he stumbles to the floor.

.

"Ben!" Rey lurches forward. She cannot see his assailant, sees nothing now but him, on the ground.

He looks up once to meet her eyes. "No. Go!"

He's on his feet in the next second, turning on her, igniting his lightsaber.

"I can help you." Her lightsaber flares blue, slices through the air. "We can—"

"There is no we," he says, waving a dismissive hand.

The connection breaks, and he is gone.

* * *

**AN: Just want to thank everyone following and liking and reviewing this story so far. I hope you're enjoying it :)**


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven  
**

* * *

Rey takes one deep breath in to focus herself. Alone in the forest, the wind rushing past her, she can feel the Force rustling in the leaves. It's calling to her, calling her away.

With a burst of determination, she surges forward, darting back towards the village, each step matching the pounding her heart, the pound of resolve sending her on a rescue mission to save her enemy.

#

One glance at Hux is all Kylo needs to know something is wrong. His eyes are red. His face too devoid of the normal weaselly scowl he's gotten used to hating. The contempt in them might actually kill him.

"Why did you shoot me?" Kylo demands. He raises his lightsaber, prepared to block whatever shot might come next. He focuses on the anger bubbling in him to distract him from the pain burning in his shoulder.

"**... i was trying to kill you ...**"

The hiss in Hux's voice is wrong too. Too sinister for such a snivelling toothpick of a man. "You?" Kylo spits. "You are nothing! I will cut you down as I should have long ago."

He lunges for Hux. The troopers surge forward, building a blockade before their commander. Kylo deflects their blaster shots. Half of those blasts rebound, taking down the troopers that shot them. The rest fall beneath his furiously flying lightsaber. Even with his injured shoulder, it's an easy victory for him.

Panting, adrenaline pulsing through him, a Force of his own, he sneers at Hux. The man is completely unmoved, those red eyes blankly surveying him. It is that which sets infuriated nerves rippling through Kylo. "It's just you and me now. Still think you can kill me."

"**... oh, yes ...**"

With a guttural cry, Kylo charges, leaping through the air, lightsaber carving on an arc to bring death.

Hux calmly raises a hand. Red lightning shoots from his fingers.

Struck in the chest by the unexpected blast, Kylo is sent flying backwards.

#

Rey bursts from the forest, and veers left towards the landing plot and one very specific ship. With her mind so focused on this one task, she doesn't see Rose darting to intercept her until she's right in her path.

"What's wrong, Rey? What is it?"

Rey stumbles to a halt, nearly falls to the ground. Rose reaches out her arms, catches her before she can hit the ground.

"He's in trouble," she manages to say, feeling every slipping second as a precious stone of time she doesn't have. "I have to help him."

"Who? Rey? Wait!"

But Rey is already racing away from her.

"I'm coming with you!"

Rey slows again, to face Rose and her shining eyes of resolve. "No. It's too dangerous."

"That's fine with me," Rose says, undaunted. "I'm here for you."

If time was on her side, Rey might have wasted it on arguing Rose out of it. But she can't deny the feeling of relief she knows to not have to face this alone. "Okay. Come on. I'll explain on the way."

#

Hux examines his hands, laughing manically.

"**... did you see that? ...**"

As if he can't believe it himself, he sends a second jet of lightning towards Kylo who spasms on the ground.

It's gone again and Kylo is left breathing heavily, swallowing down the cry that's close to ripping from his throat. He forces himself to rise, shaking as he does. "How are you doing that?"

"**... he is our chosen one. he is one of our own. you should not have refused us ...**"

Hux digs into his pocket and retrieves the deeply pulsing ruby gem. It casts Kylo in a reddish hue, as if washing him with blood. He's prepared this time when the lightning crackles at Hux's fingers and deflects the attack with his lightsaber.

"But he is nothing. No one. He understands nothing of the Force."

"**... he understands propose, potential. we will train him. he will restore us. once you are dead ...**"

Kylo lunges forward again. Hux extends a hand, a charged spear leaps into his hands and meets Kylo's slashing blade with a fiery clash.

#

Rey and Rose slide into the cockpit. Behind them, Chewbacca growls and grumbles insistently.

"I know, I know, Chewie. I'll explain later. We have to go," Rey says quickly, waving a dismissive hand.

"And where are we going?" Rose asks her as she settles into the co-pilot seat.

"Just get us out of the atmosphere. I'll know in a second." I hope, she thinks to herself, before closing her eyes, and reaching out for Kylo.

She brushes his mind.

#

Kylo staggers in the hangar as he feels her lightest touch. Rey flickers into sight at his side.

"Ben, where are you?" she asks him urgently. "Tell me."

Kylo dances back from Hux and his swinging spear. "I thought I told you to stay out of this."

"Don't be stubborn."

Kylo laughs, a bitter croak. He has no time for this, for her. He dashes forward again, clashing with Hux. He'll have time for her once he's killed this threat.

#

Rey has no time for this. She turns her head. She can see Rose there beside her, staring at her like she's gone mad. If she focuses on Kylo, the contours of the Millennium Falcon start to fade, coloured now with the dark threat of the hangar. At once she can better see Kylo clashing with a red head man she knows to be Hux. And in the corner, not far from where she's standing, a screen flickers. She hurries to it.

#

Kylo falters as the walls of the Millennium Falcon take shape around him. It distracts him, and he stumbles back, keeping back from Hux, trying to centre on where he is.

"**... what is this power? ...**"

Hux hesitates too, eyes slits. Glancing around, his eyes fall towards the screen.

Kylo darts in his path, blocking his view of Rey.

It's enough to pull Hux away from discovering the truth.

#

And enough for Rey to pull their coordinates from the Leviathan's system. She relinquishes her hold on Kylo and slips away back into the Millennium Falcon. She's standing in the corridor now.

Rose and Chewie are just behind her, ogling her with a curious confusion.

"I got it," she tells them, passing Rose the coordinates. "Hurry, please."

#

Kylo feels Rey slip away, knows that she's gone, knows too that she's coming. He has to be done with this, stop her. But everything seems to be slipping from his control now.

The ache in his shoulder is growing harder to ignore. It slows him, but he pushes on against it. There is no choice for him. With every parry, he knows his window of time to stopping Hux is growing ever narrower.

"Why did you choose him?" he asks, hoping to distract hid enemy, to find a weakness. "Were you that desperate?"

"**... he has the drive, the will the urge. he wanted the power we offered. the power we would have given you. it leaves us no choice but to kill you. and then her ...**"

Kylo releases a strangled cry, fury bubbling through him like a raging volcano. It propels him through the air, his lightsaber slashing down with a vengeful swing.

Hux deftly side steps him. Kylo lurches past him. With one swift move, Hux shoots his hand forward. Lightning crackles at his fingertips, blasts Kylo in the back.

Kylo slams against the ground, his lightsaber flung out of reach. He reaches for it. Too slow. It flies past him, into the hands of another.

More fiery blasts of lightning ripple through him, force a scream from him as it tears through him, inside out.

It ends, but he can still feel it, ice and fire, killing him.

He pushes himself onto his knees, panting.

"**... beg for your life ...**"

Kylo clenches a fist, grits his teeth, pushes himself onto his feet.

He's too slow to turn and in that second when his back is too his enemy, Hux slices up with the lightsaber and carves through his back.

#

Rey gasps in pain, doubles over in the copilot seat. She bites back a scream, but she hears another's. It wrenches her from the Millennium Falcon, into the Leviathan's hangar. Looking down, she sees Kylo's limp form at her feet.

"Ben?" she crouches down beside him.

"**... who are you? ...**"

Rey glances up into Hux's fire red eyes. "You can see me?"

"**... yes, and now we know. rey. daughter of no one. the last of the jedi. but how are you here? ...**"

Rey rises, ignites her lightsaber. Hux sends a jet of lightning at her. She easily deflects it, her stance assured.

"**... here, but not here. we wonder if you will die for real if we kill you now ...**"

"Guess you'll have to kill me to find out," Rey says, defiant. Her mind is far away, trying to latch onto a plan. She needs time.

"**... make no mistake. we will ...**" Hux leaps at her, Kylo's lightsaber cleaving the air. Rey meets it, and the illusion flickers.

"Rey? What's going on?"

Rose's voice calls her away from them hangar, pulls her back into the Millennium Falcon's cockpit. Her lightsaber hovers an inch from Rose's face.

"Rose, I'm so sorry. I just... I'm going in the back. Come and get me the second we arrive. Please."

"Okay." Rose nods. Her eyes swim with her bafflement, but she doesn't voice it, chooses trust over doubt.

Rey feels a deep surge of gratitude for her. "Thank you."

Racing past Chewie, she brings herself to the open lounge area and throws her conscious far from her, through hyperspace.

The hangar welcomes her back. Hux leers at her. He towers over Kylo's form. She's back a ways from them. She takes her stance. "Still curious about that death thing?"

"**... let us finish him. then we'll deal with you ...**" Hux kicks him in the stomach. "**... the prince of darkness. such a waste ...**"

The burst of revulsion that ignites in Rey is only tempered at the slightest shift in Kylo's prone form. Hope rears through her in its place, a plan beginning to form.

Sliding her lightsaber away, she reaches for the Force and finds its tendrils weaving around Kylo. She focuses on those, focuses on him. On his living body, weak as it is. She latches onto it and thinks one thought, _come_.

And he does, sliding across the floor, to rest at her feet.

Hux's eyes burn at once with frustration and admiration. "**... what are you ...**"

Rey is barely aware of the question that's been asked of her. Her eyes have caught on the chimes lying a few paces away, having fallen from Kylo's pocket. Her chest rattles, overcome with a singular thought.

She pulls away from the hangar, present enough to see Kylo, but far enough removed to see the interior of the Millennium Falcon and Chewbacca just a few feet in front of her.

"Chewie, perfect," she says it in a whisper, to avoid being overheard by Hux. "I need your help. The second we're out of hyperspace, tap me or push me. Something. Okay?"

Chewbacca growls.

"No time. Just promise."

He shrugs, hesitant, but nods.

"Thank you."

Rey pushes herself as far into Kylo's world as she can, to the point where she can almost believe that she has always and only been standing in the hangar of the First Order's ship.

"**... who were you talking to? ...**"

Rey doesn't respond. She crouches low, gathers Kylo in her arms and steps back from him.

If fate is kind, it won't be much longer.

"**... do you think holding him will protect you? ...**"

"No," she says calmly.

"**... there is raw talent in you. it would be a shame to waste it ...**"

"Don't worry. I plan to destroy you with it."

Hux laughs, full of spite. "**... we know what you are doing. stalling ...**"

"Well, you're enabling me, so..."

"**... you should join us, rey. we would make an indestructible team. the war would end. you would rule the galaxies. your friends could be spared ...**"

"Who's stalling now?" Her arms are heavy with the weight of Kylo in them, but this talking is diverting her from the physical strain of holding him, and the emotional toll of feeling his life slipping from him.

_Please, please. Rose. I need you now._

As if her thoughts have powers, a paw lands on her shoulder.

She starts, but at the rumbling growl of Chewbacca's reassurance in her ear, her heart and mind go very steady.

Her fingers dig tighter, her grasp on Kylo strengthening. She needs to be resolved in this, needs to feel him as if he's real with her, but not real with her here.

Somewhere else.

"There's a ship approaching," a voice calls over a crackling speaker.

Hux narrows his eyes. "**... what? ...**"

"Sorry, but this is where I leave you." With a nod, she throws all her focus back, to the Millennium Falcon, to the pressure of Chewbacca's paw on her shoulder. And focuses harder still on the body wrapped in her arms.

When she pulls back, she pulls him with her. And as he took the chimes into his world, she takes him into hers.

* * *

**A.N. Phew, that's a long one. But things are getting somewhere, I hope**


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve:**

* * *

Rey stumbles to the floor of the Millennium Falcon, Kylo tumbling from her grasp, but not her sight. As firmly rooted in this place as she is. The ripple of triumph is sharp but not long lasting. She's pulled him through the fabrics of the universe into this space with her, but they aren't safe yet.

"Rose! Get us out of here. Now!"

"On it!" Rose's voice echoes back from the cockpit.

Rey sinks back, taking a deep breath as she senses the distance grow between them and the mad Hux.

Chewbacca roars, startling her. She flinches back, cringes at the damning glower on his face.

"No, Chewie, it's okay," she says urgently, hearing in his rumbling roars all the hatred he possesses for Kylo Ren. And with good reason, of course, but she can't very well have Chewie tear Kylo apart when she's trying to save him. "He's injured. I need to take care of him."

Chewbacca grumbles in protest.

"I know what he's done, but we're no better if we let him die. He's more help to the Resistance alive. Please."

Chewbacca growls low.

"Maybe you should take over for Rose. I could use her help."

Chewbacca huffs, but with a resigned throwing up of his hands, turns on his heel and marches off to follow through on her request.

Once he's gone, Rey turns back to Kylo. He's gone slack, his breathing slower and slower still, but he grimaces and twitches as she turns him onto his stomach and peels away the torn shreds of his shirt.

His flesh is singed and shorn where the lightsaber slashed down near his spine.

Rey averts her gaze, swallowing hard, clapping her hand over her mouth.

"Rey! What's going on? Chewie was—oh my! Is that...?"

"Yes, it is." A blast of relief surges through her to know she isn't alone. "He's badly injured. A shot to his shoulder, and his back..." she swallows again, swallows the rolling nausea. "I don't know what to do."

"Let me see," Rose says, her voice steady. She kneels beside Rey, Rey shifting over to give her space to inspect.

Rose delicately leans in, her face calm, unperturbed by the sight of his damaged skin. When she pulls back again, her expression is still passive. But her eyes, they glitter with concern. "I think there should be a medpac here. Somewhere. Give me a second."

She hurries off. Rey watches her, but her gaze is drawn away at a low mumbling at her knees.

Rey leans in hurriedly, pressing closer to him. "It's okay. You're safe, Ben."

He murmurs something again, but it's all unintelligible.

Rose is back again before Rey can try to pull clear words from him. "Okay. The good news. There's a synthflesh I can use to help his shoulder. The bad news, I won't be able to heal his back. We need to get him to base and a bacta tank to set him straight."

"I can't bring him in like this," Rey says.

"We don't have a choice."

"But..." Rey's words slip from her as her gaze does the same, drawn to Kylo's trembling form. His injuries glower up at her, seem to accuse her. Guilt, that burdensome shame weighs heavily over her. "There has to be something."

She closes her eyes, reaching for an answer in the Force. It's led her well so far, guided her to this moment. Maybe it can guide her a little more. It whispers of life and death, reminds her of that balance Luke taught her about on Ahch-To. Fear surges through her. This can't end with his death. She needs his life if she's to stop this new threat of Hux.

_Life_, she pleads with her mind, pleads to the Force. _His life. Tell me how to save him._

When the reply comes it is reluctant, but she has no heart to wonder why it might be that the Force wouldn't want him alive. She heeds, listens, as it guides her to rest a hand upon his back.

He stiffens beneath her, groans.

She focuses on what is whole, on the life that ebbs and flows with growing weakness through him. It reacts to her, stirring at her touch. A shock sparks through her, wrenching a gasp from her lips.

The gasp is echoed, Rose's.

Rey opens her eyes, but doesn't break the connection she's made, though her shock is redoubled at the sight of Kylo's back knitting closed, layers of skin folding into each other until not even a scar remains to mark the place of his injuries.

Her energy ebbs from her, drawn into him. Balance. What is given must be taken. Is it not worth it?

"By the Maker!" Rose exclaims.

Rey breathes heavily, clutches at her chest as her heart beats a little harder, as her breath comes a little shallower.

"Are you okay?" Rose's hand lands lightly on her shoulder, a gentle squeeze of concern and comfort.

"Takes something out of you," Rey whispers, but there's a smile on her lips. A genuine gesture of happiness. For what was taken has been given. "Help me turn him over."

Together, they flip Kylo onto his back. His shirt hangs off him. A little revealing.

Rose bites her lip, struggling against her crooked grin. "Well. This certainty isn't how I imagined meeting the Supreme Leader of the First Order."

"It's nothing I haven't seen before," Rey says with a shrug.

Rose cocks a curious brow, but the time for revisiting the past is interrupted as Kylo stirs on the ground between them.

His eyes flutter open and Rey notices for the first time that the scar he wore over his face—a scar she gave him a long time ago in a wintry battle—is gone as well.

"What...? Where am I? Hux... What...?"

"It's okay, Ben." Rey presses in closer to him. "You're safe."

"Rey?"

She shivers at the quivering utterance of her name, hearing in it a weight of emotions she cannot decipher.

Kylo jerks upright, and there goes the rest of his shirt.

Rose blinks at him, then quickly averts her gaze.

He slides a hand up and down his back, his eyes widening in shock. "Explain," he demands, eyes narrowed at Rey.

"Rey saved you with the Force," Rose blurts out before Rey can find the right words to bring this situation to life.

"Rose..."

"Well, you did."

"You saved me?"

Rey meets Kylo's incredulous stare with a shrug. "If anyone's going to kill you, it's going to be me."

He smirks at that, then forces his expression severe once more as he surveys Rose. "Who's this?"

"Rose Tico," Rose introduces herself. "It's a... Well, it's not a pleasure or honour... but it's... Never mind."

Kylo squints at her, then glances past her, his eyes catching at last on his surroundings. His breath comes a little heavier, his eyes widening in recognition. "Is this...?"

Rey nods slowly. "The Millennium Falcon."

Kylo clears his throat, swallows hard. "I demand you let me leave at once."

The sudden sharp coolness in his voice rams against Rey, throwing her off-balance. She is suddenly aware of expectations she had, of his gratitude warming him to her, of being a changed man. It seems so naive now to think a single near-death experience could alter him so wholly.

"Well, we're in hyperspace right now, so you won't be going anywhere," Rose says, her tone just as cool.

"Then get us out of hyperspace," Kylo bites back.

"You don't get to order her around like that." Rey's crisp condemnation draws his eyes back to her. She's starting to think saving him might not have been the best idea.

He doesn't balk at her glower. "I am not going to be dragged to your base."

"You're in no position to argue."

"You underestimate—ARGH!"

Chewbacca startles them all when he lurches forward then, wraps Kylo in his arms, tight enough to strangle him, and wrenches him off the floor.

Kylo struggles in his grasp, gasping for breath.

"Chewie! No! Drop him!" Rey cries, leaping to her feet.

Chewbacca growls, a snarl of refusal.

"I know, but, please... Leia wants him alive. Chewie, please. For Leia."

Chewbacca growls resignedly, relinquishes his hold.

Kylo splutters as he hits the ground, his hand twisting reflexively around his throat. "So that's what that feels like," he mutters bemusedly. With his breath back, he adds in a clearer voice, "I do not want to see her."

"Then I'll let Chewie tear you apart."

Chewbacca releases an excited yowl.

"Fine."

Rey fixes Kylo with a disbelieving stare. "You'd rather die than see your mother again?"

"Oh, definitely."

"Seems a bit extreme," Rose says softly.

Kylo chuckles bitterly. "I'm not a fool. You bring me to the Resistance in chains and I'll be dead in a cycle if not sooner. You might as well let Chew—the Wookie kill me now."

Chewbacca barks in agreement.

"No," Rey says. "Leia won't let that happen. I won't let that happen. Trust me."

"Trust you?"

"I've already saved your life twice today. I think I can manage a third."

"And I'll help," Rose pipes up eagerly.

"Why?" Kylo demands, a second away from scratching his head like the truly baffled.

"For your mother," Rey replies without hesitation.

"You care about her that much?"

"Yes. And before you ask, because she's been like a mother to me."

A chime goes off in the distance. "I've got it!" Rose rushes out of the room. "Come on, Chewie."

He growls in protest, but Rose tugs him forcefully after her, leaving Rey alone with Kylo.

She feels a rippling chill to be with him. "So...?"

"So, I guess you'll be cuffing me," Kylo says.

"Does that mean you'll be delaying your death?"

Kylo shrugs.

"If I cuff you, it will only be temporary."

"You should blindfold me too," he suggest calmly. "You wouldn't want me to carry information about your Resistance base back to the First Order."

"And who would you run and tell that's too? The red-eyed guy who tried to kill you?"

Kylo stiffens. "He's still alive?"

"Yes." The panic in his eye sends a shiver down her spine.

"But you said—"

"That I saved you. Not that I killed him."

"Ah, great," Kylo sighs, shoulders sagging. "Then we're all dead."

* * *

**AN: A bit of a quieter chapter after the last few. Thanks to everyone who's been adding this to their favourites and leaving reviews. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far :)**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen:

* * *

Back on Ajan Kloss, Poe and Finn rove through the streets as pale light floods overheard. They wear their weariness in the lines of their face, in their haggard appearances. It looks like they've just rolled out of bed.

Which is good, as that's exactly what they've just done.

"She said it was urgent or I wouldn't have bothered you," Poe says, trying to cleave through the dreadful silence between them.

"It's fine," Finn says. There's nothing mendacious in his reply, but there's nothing warm in it either.

Awkward silence fills the space between them, BB-8 rolling along behind them all the way to the cave where Leia sits with C-3PO.

Poe starts at the sight of her pale pallor and hunched form. He rushes to her side, falling to his knees before her. "What is it? Please, speak to me."

Leia smiles wearily at him. "I'm fine, but I have word from Rey and Rose that you're not going to like."

"Where are they? Are they hurt?" Finn demands, rushing forward.

Leia shakes her head. "They're fine too. They'll be arriving very soon."

Poe rises. He hadn't heard a ship take off in the night. His mind has been elsewhere through this turning of night.

"Where did they go?" Finn asks.

"I don't know. I didn't know. But Rey... it's hard to believe, but she has Kylo Ren."

That knocks them both speechless.

It seems too much of a dream, a tenuous hope, to believe it. Poe shakes his head, trying to find words.

Finn finds them first. "She has Ren? Then... It's over!"

"The First Order is more than just one man," Leia says gravely.

Poe remembers how to voice his thoughts gain. "But Finn's right. This is huge! We have Ren. The First Order will fall apart without him."

"I don't think it's that easy."

But Poe hardly hears her words. Eagerness builds through him, breaking through the disbelief. This is the moment they've been waiting for. "Hope. Isn't that what we're always talking about? This is what we need to build our own force. The galaxy will come to pick apart the pieces of the First Order when news that Ren's dead—"

"He's not dead," Leia says sharply.

Poe flinches, heat flooding through his cheeks. Finn throws him an apologetic look.

Leia rises stiffly, her face marred by a severe scowl. "There is more I would say, but peace for now. I want you with me when they arrive. Will you come?"

Poe nods. So does Finn.

She brushes past them.

Poe makes to follow, but Finn pulls him back for a second. "I have a bad feeling about this."

It wasn't a sure sign of forgiveness, but it was something. And Poe would have taken it happily if he didn't also think that this wasn't going to end well.

#

Rey peers anxiously through the cockpit window, out onto the lading strip where it seems like the entire Resistance has gathered in the early dawn to see what's up.

"So much for a quiet descent," she mutters.

"Maybe they won't recognize him without the mask."

"You're too optimistic for your own good."

Rey and Rose throw an eerily similar withering look back at Kylo.

He flinches back from them with a shrug. "Most of them saw me fighting on Crait."

"You mean when you got your butt kicked by a projection of Luke Skywalker?" Rose says. "I'm still upset I missed it."

Kylo glowers at her, but there's a quirk of a smirk on his lips. Rey can almost see the edges where Ben Solo wants to push through. It helps that he's wearing one of his father's own shirts in place of his tattered one. If not for his hands bound in charged restraints, this might be a moment of hopeful change.

"Well, let's get this over with."

Rose steps down first, Chewie at her back. Rey prods Kylo to follow them. He throws her back one last, silent, pleading look. She prods him harder. With a final grunt, he trudges down the ramp with Rey just a step behind.

The air is still, the group there silent in its greeting.

Rey avoids making contact with anyone, her eyes focused on Kylo's head. He glances back, meets her eyes.

Chewbacca stops abruptly. Kylo bumps unceremoniously into him, earning a begrudging growl. It's an improvement from strangulation.

Rey steps around Kylo, to see what's stopped Rose. Leia stands firm in their path, flanked on one side by Poe, Finn lingering just behind them.

Rose steps aside, Chewbacca follows suit.

Poe surges forward, to within a foot of Kylo Ren.

Kylo stares down at him. There's a palpable tension between them. "So who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?"

Poe's jaw clenches, his body stiffening. Rey's not sure if the twitch around his eye is a fight against laughter. It might be wishful thinking.

A gentle hand falls over Poe's shoulder.

With a begrudging sigh, he steps aside.

Leia steps up in his place. She stares up at him. The sorrow weaved into the lines of her fatigue jar Rey. She's never seen her look so tired, so old. "Ben..." Leia whispers.

Kylo averts his gaze, expression stricken.

A subtle murmuring floods the space around them. As the silence draws on, Rey steps forward to intervene. "Perhaps this would be better done in private."

Leia looks her way, eyes glazed, as if coming out of stupor. "Yes," she says. "Of course."

#

They find privacy in the caves where Leia has made her personal base. Kylo stands in the center of the room, eyes downcast, refusing to meet Leia's searching stare. Rey stands off to one side, eyes flitting between the two of them. She's here to mediate, if it comes to that.

"Will you not look at me, Ben?"

Kylo's answer is continued silence.

"Are you afraid of what you will see in me or what I will see in you?"

Kylo flinches soundlessly.

"You will find that I can be as stubborn as you. And even more patient."

Kylo tilts his head up for the briefest second, forces it down again.

Rey glances at Leia who purses her lips, gives a small shrug. At a loss herself, Rey casts her gaze towards the caves' exit. "Maybe. If I wasn't here..."

"No, stay. Please," Leia says quickly.

Kylo mutters something under his breath, too soft, too mumbled to be understood.

Leia leans forward eagerly, her eyes twinkling. "What was that?"

Kylo stiffens, gives a firm shake of his head.

Rey starts forward, tired of waiting. There's no time to be patient or stubborn when danger is looming dangerously close. The First Order may not be aware of how close they are at present, but Rey can't shake the dread of them discovering the truth at any second.

Before words can flee, Leia holds up a firm hand, a decisive call for her to hold.

She must have sensed something in the Force that Rey could not, because Kylo unfolds his stance at last. His head comes up.

"Tell me what is going to happen."

Leia straightens her back. "Why don't you tell me."

"You're going to let me go," he replies coolly.

Rey fights the urge to strangle him again. In a calmer voice that Rey admires, Leia says, "Oh, definitely not."

Kylo gives a rough shake of his head. "Then you might as well kill me."

"Ben—"

"My name is Kylo Ren."

The pompous twist of his voice digs into Rey's gut.

Leia takes it all with the same calm presence she's worn all this time. "No. You are my son. Ben Solo."

Her words echo with a force that even Rey shudders at. For a second, she believes it will change something. But then...

Kylo twists violently to face her. "Take me away from here."

The abruptness of his attention and words cause Rey to hesitate for a breath. "I can't. I—"

"You're twisted around her finger," he spits at her, spinning around to face Leia again. "And you don't understand. The Sith are returning."

Leia blanches, staggers, reaching for the wall behind her to steady herself. "The Sith?" she breathes out.

Rey speeds past Kylo to reach Leia's side. Leia's finger dig into her supportive arm.

Kylo hasn't moved but Rey can see his face and the deep grooves of telling concern worn into his brow.

He blinks quickly, forces a scowl as her stare lingers. "They've chosen a vessel. Endowed him with Their power. You won't be able to stand against Them."

Leia straightens again, her composure regained. "Then you must join forces with us. Ben—"

"I want no part in your Resistance," Kylo says, but his voice is a little less coarse, his eyes a little more dim. "And if you are wise, you would flee. This is not a fight you can win."

"They rarely are," Leia muses. "But the fight is all we have."

"I want no part in it," Kylo repeats. "I've almost died enough for one cycle."

Leia starts at that, looks to Rey. "What happened?"

"It's a long story—"

"And we don't have time for long stories," Kylo interrupts impatiently.

"Then you will have to tell it quickly," Leia says, the epitome of calm once more.

And so Rey does.

* * *

**AN: This chapter was starting to run on so I cut it off here. Sorry for the abruptness of it. More coming soon ;)**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Chapter Fourteen:**

* * *

Addressing the higher echelons of the First Order's command, Hux has never felt more powerful. It is as he always wanted. He is the head now, he holds command. Kylo is either dead or dying. It doesn't matter. His word is law at last and there is no corner of the galaxy that he will allow to slip through his fingers.

"The Supreme Leader has defected, but we will be stronger without him. Our wrath will fall faster. Our might will be decisive. Under my leadership, the First Order will reign triumphant."

"And why should we defer to you?" One rat faced man asks, an admiral of the first class Hux has no care to remember the name of.

"Thank you for asking," Hux says demurely. He flexes his fingers as he has seen Kylo do so many times before. But this time, he is not the one left spluttering. And this time, he does not stop short of killing.

The useless admiral slumps dead over the table. Perhaps it is cliche to use death to warn off other naysayers, but Hux relishes the gulps of panic and squirms of unease the violence stirs in the group.

"I hope that is answer enough for you..."

"Yes, General Hux," the surviving members of the high council stammer.

"It is Supreme Leader now," Hux says.

"Yes, Supreme Leader," they correct themselves.

Hux swells in their capitulation. Deep within a voice whispers, "**... a new era begins ...**"

#

Poe paces, an agitated back and forth before the caves. Finn watches him in silence. He's lost that lingering begrudging feeling. It's hard to stay mad at Poe when he looks so lost.

"Can't believe... What was she...? What are they...? Can't believe... And if she thinks we're going to let that scum..." Poe mutters with growing aggravation.

Finn casts a helpless glance across the cave's entrance to where Rose and Chewie are watching with Poe with the same amount of concern. She meets his eyes, her lips pursed.

She clears her throat, turning her eyes towards Poe. At least she can find words to help "Look, I don't know what's going on any more than you do, but I think we have to let Leia do this. She and Rey know what's best."

Finn flinches at that. So much for words to help.

Poe turns on her. "After all the people he's killed. No. He deserve to die. That's all."

"Even if he's coming to our side?" Rose pushes.

"Some people don't deserve second chances," Finn says softly. He hears the hypocrisy of his words as he speaks it.

Rose points it out anyway. "Hypocrite."

"No," Poe says furiously, coming to Finn's defense. "He's right. And this is different. We know Ren's evil. He deserves to die. Your sister—"

Finn cringes as Rose's eyes throw daggers Poe's way. Even though he isn't on the receiving end, he can feel the condemnation in those eyes.

Poe flounders too, averts his gaze, kicks at dirt.

"I hope you never have to fancy a judge and jury," Rose says coolly and storms away.

There's a long pause between her departure and the next words that come through.

"I don't understand why she's defending him" Poe says, but there's no resentment in his tone, only remorse in his eyes.

Finn shrugs. He doesn't understand it, either. But then, Rose has always proven to be a better person, quick to forgive, easy to befriend.

Poe eyes him suspiciously. "Have you forgiven me yet?"

"Call it a temporary truce," Finn says.

The grateful smile that lights Poe's face almost compels Finn to rush at him and embrace. But he holds himself back. The moment isn't right.

"I'm glad it's temporary," Poe muses, glancing back at the cave. "I'd hate to be grateful to him for ending this terrible distance between us."

#

Leia's hands tremble, clasped before her. She's still standing, tall and strong, but her eyes droop with all the weariness she's keeping held within her.

Kylo's face is equally stoic, but Rey can see the lines of concern working their way into his forehead. Perhaps the moment for change is now.

"I hate to think what would have happened if Rey had not been there," Leia says at last, her voice grave, hoarse.

Kylo scoffs. "He would never have gotten hold of that gem. We would probably be better off."

A wave of contempt rushes through Rey. She has to stop believing that he will change. "Don't you dare put this on me. I didn't ask you to chase me."

Kylo just scoffs again, shaking his head on and on.

"Enough," Leia says, her voice even more worn with fatigue. "If what you say is true, we have to move now. If we wait for him to grow too powerful, we might as well admit defeat now."

"Good luck with that."

Leia coolly surveys Kylo. "Oh, you misunderstand. You are going to help us."

"No, I'm not."

"Says the man in chains," Rey mutters darkly.

Kylo glowers at her. He raises his cuffed wrists and shakes them violently at her. "I won't be of much use like this."

"Well, you're stuck with us for the foreseeable future, so temper your expectations."

"So, that's your plan? To keep me a prisoner while you go off to fight a doomed war?"

"Seems better than the fate you've led others too," Rey bites back. A fate she's starting to think might be the only one he deserves.

"Enough, please," Leia says, intervening once again, though her words are wretched with defeat. "We will doom ourselves if we cannot find common ground. Ben..."

Kylo flinches, but makes no word against the chosen name.

Rey refuses to see any spark of hope in it.

"Will you at least consider it?" Leia asks. "In this time, we are united by one known enemy. If we fight together, we can stop him. And after..." a heavy sigh wracks her. "Once he is defeated, you may go your way as we go ours."

"You would set me free?" Kylo asks, his tone suddenly bright with eagerness.

"If that is the price of your assistance," Leia says. "I would."

Rey can feel in her the sagging doubt of this decision. The Resistance would never agree to let Kylo Ren roam the galaxy free, not without holding him accountable for his crimes. But she sees, as Leia does, the hopelessness of the situation that calls their morality into question and forces them to wade through the grey of actions.

Kylo shrugs his shoulders, his whole body losing its tension. "Then, yes. I will consider it."

* * *

**AN: **Sorry that these aren't the most thrilling chapters. But things are coming soon. Promise. Groundwork is just being laid ;)


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

* * *

Poe and Finn surge forward as Leia steps out of the caves. Before either can speak, she a raises a hand in protestation, and marches on past them, past all those who have begun to congregate around the caves, drawn in by a deeply rooted curiosity to know what will happen to the bitter enemy.

Finn glances aside. "What now?"

Poe shrugs, clasps Finn's shoulder. A reassuring pat. "Wait here, buddy."

He hurries after Leia, but makes it no further than the growing crowd when three people step in his path. Kaydel Ko Connix, Tammin 'Snap' Wesley, and Larma D'Acy.

"What's going on, Poe?" Snap demands.

Poe shrugs helplessly. "I'm still trying to found out."

"Is it really...?" Larma asks. "Is it?"

Poe nods once. "So far as I know."

The three of them exchange a glance. "What is she going to do with him?" Kaydel asks then.

"Again, I'm trying to find out."

They part to let him go, their eyes lingering on the cave.

Poe quickens his pace, pursing Leia to the very edge of the village. She pauses there.

He's never seen her look so old. It sets a quickening in his heart, one of compassion, one of concern. "You want to talk about it?"

Leia throws a single glance back at him, the sharp look in her eye warning him off.

But Poe, though her flounders and retreats a step, burns with a stubbornness that can't be quenched. "Whoever that guy is, he isn't your son anymore."

Leia scoffs, refuses to turn back towards him. "Oh, Poe, you do say the stupidest things sometimes. I just want to be alone for a moment."

Poe hovers still. He's not so good with the letting go. "Are you sure?"

"Pretty damn."

After one final wavering moment of hesitation, Poe turns and trudges away, back to the caves, feeling just as lost as ever.

But no more lost than Leia. In the stillness of loneliness, she closes her eyes and breathes in deep, reaching for the Force, for those lives tethered to it. "Help me. Han. Luke. Help me bring him back."

The air around her stirs, a gentle whispering that returns some peace to her strained expression.

#

Back in the caves, Kylo kneels on the floor, trying to find a centre of calm while the air around him crackles and shivers with anxiety and dread. It doesn't help that he can feel a singular pair of eyes boring into his back, watching him intently.

He knows words are coming, but he doesn't ask for them, only waits for her to find the courage.

"Can I ask you a question?" Rey's voice is soft with uncertainty.

Kylo rolls his eyes behind closed lids. "You wasted one already asking for my permission."

"Why are you upset with her?"

It's not the profound words he was expecting from her. In fact, they bore him. "Because I am an angry, bad person."

Her eyes jerk away from him. He looks up as he feels her attention slip, as he feels another presence coming into the room.

He recognizes the man, but doesn't know his name. Only a number. FN-2187. There's no point in learning the names of these people.

The man who was FN-2187 glowers down at him.

Kylo holds his gaze for a second, then looks aside. "Oh goodie. Here comes the judge and jury."

He can sense the ripple of ire that his words send through the man, but they are not enough to prompt a retort. The only words he speak are not intended for him. "A moment?"

Kylo twists his head back, towards Rey.

She holds his gaze, wary eyes assessing him, as if wondering whether it's safe to leave him alone. He sighs heavily, lifts his cuffed hands in a show of defeat.

With a nod and a promise to "be right back", she takes her leave of him.

Kylo closes his eyes again, and focuses on hearing the conversation as they pass out of normal earshot.

"Do you know what Leia plans to do?" the man that was FN-2187 asks.

"Not yet," Rey lies—which causes Kylo to grin.

"Because the others are starting to get anxious."

"Anxious?"

"About him being here. They don't trust him. They think it's a trap."

"It's not. They should trust Leia on that."

"They should. But he's killed so many of us."

"I know."

"And no matter of trust in Leia can change that."

"I know."

Kylo opens his eyes, now putting his attention into blocking out the sound of their conversation. Let them decide that he is a lost cause. It's time they give up on him. It's time his mother—

Something painful stirs in him as the tiniest drop of compassion drips through him. He grimaces, gritting his teeth against the roiling wave.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

Kylo jerks around, lurching to his feet. There, lingering as translucent force ghosts are the victims of his rage: Han Solo and Luke Skywalker.

"Told you I'd see you around," Luke says gruffly, a coy smirk playing on his lips.

For two dead men, they look annoyingly gleeful.

Kylo blinks, shakes his head, wishes them away, but they are beyond his power. With a shrug of his shoulders, he turns his back on them. "Took you long enough to come. I thought you had forgotten."

"Sounds like I rubbed off on him after all," Han says.

"Unfortunately," Luke agrees.

Somehow, this is worse than almost being killed by a possessed Hux. "What will it take to get you to leave me alone?"

"A lot more than you turning your back on us, son."

"Don't call em that." Kylo rounds on them.

"Lighten up, Ben," Luke says.

"Don't call me that either."

Luke and Han share a suddenly sober look, like an old married couple worried about a temperamental child.

"It's going to take a miracle," Luke says.

"Leia should give up," Han agrees.

Kylo couldn't agree more. "Yes! Tell her to give up. Please."

Luke scoffs. "Good boy you raised there, Han."

Han shrugs. "Apple of my eye. Saber in my gut."

Kylo grinds his teeth, sinks back onto his knees as the voices echo around him, bickering. _Hurry back, Rey._

#

But Rey has voices of her own to contend with.

The Resistance mob has grown around the caves, armed with grudges and even worse, with blasters.

Her hands call for peace as her voice strains against theirs. "He's not a danger to you. I promise."

"How do you know?" Snap demands.

"The First Order have turned against him. We have one enemy between us now."

"And you think that makes us allies?" a particularly dour voices asks. Rey recognizes him as one of the newer recruits, Beaumont Kin.

"I do, and—"

"Rey!"

Leia's voice erupts above the crowd's.

Rey hurries forward, weaving through the crowd. They let her pass, turning with her.

Leia is at the edge of the group. Gone are the lines of worry and weariness. There's a lightness in her expression, aglow with hope.

It charges through Rey. "What is it?"

"I think I found a solution."

She hurries off and Rey follows at her feet, all the way to her own hut and the box of books that she brought from the Jedi temple on Ahch-To.

"I didn't even think... do you really believe there's an answer in there on how to stop the Sith?"

"I hope," Leia says, taking one book out and passing it to Rey.

The delicate old tomes seem to spark in their fingers with that hope. Rey had tried to interpret them long ago, but had given up on the ancient language employed in places and the wordy prose in the rest.

The restless sound of the crowd reaches to them. Rey hesitates. "What about Ben?"

"What about him?" Leia asks, settling on the floor, opening up one book upon her lap.

"What if they try something?"

Leia takes Rey's hand, pulls her down beside her. "Don't you worry about it. I've put my best man on it."


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
**

* * *

The sound of approaching footsteps is the most beautiful thing Kylo can remember hearing. He looks up, hopeful that this person—whoever they may be; whatever they may want—will free him from his condemners.

He recognizes Rose Tico—surprisingly, he remembers her name without any difficulty—and grimaces slightly. He had been hoping for Rey.

She smiles down at him. "You doing okay?"

He eyes her suspiciously. Her kind of positivity is murderous. "Did they send you to kill me?"

Rose smirks, shakes her head. "I'm here to protect you."

"Lucky me," he mutters. But her round face enthusiastic kindness gives him no confidence in her providing him any safety.

Rose furrows her brow and brandishes a stunner at him. "Don't test me."

Maybe he underestimated her.

"I like her. She's got spirit."

"Definitely drew the short stick on that one, son."

Kylo groans aloud as those voices return. He doesn't glance back to see if they're there. He can feel them. It's enough. "Go away."

"It'll take more than that to get rid of me," Rose says.

Kylo shakes his head. "Not you." He jerks behind him with his head. "Do you see anyone else there?"

Rose cocks a curious brow. She stares at the spot, then shakes her head. "No... Why, do you?"

Kylo allows himself one quick peek back. But there they are. The men who were Ben Solo's uncle and father. They waggle their fingers at him.

He groans again and turns away from them only to find Rose bug eyeing him. "What?" he snaps at her.

"Are you going crazy?"

"No."

Rose narrows her eyes. "A crazy person would say that."

"I'm not—" But what's the point. He sighs. "Never mind."

Silence fills the space between them, lingers on and on and...

"Will you be joining our side?" Rose asks.

Kylo starts at the bluntness of her question. He has a few choice words he could wield against her, but he holds them back. The thought of insulting her makes him feel like an ass. "I might," he admits. He keeps the caveat to himself. _If my m—Leia can assure my freedom afterwards._

"Oh." There's a bright perking in her posture. She even manages to smile again. "That's good."

A chattering rises outside, catching their attention. Rose tightens her hold on her stunner, twisting so that she has an eye on both the entrance and Kylo.

He watches her. And it's the strangest thing as he feels a pang of gratitude to her. He swallows it down. "You really think you can hold them back with that?"

"It won't get to that," Rose replies unsteadily.

The sound outside trebles.

Kylo grimaces. "It might."

#

Poe and Finn are doing their utmost to keep things at bay, but the clamouring for blood is growing ever prevalent. The voices are eager to say that they refuse to include him, to have him on their side. No matter what.

"We don't know what Leia plans—" Poe tries to speak over the rabble.

"And if she plans to let him go?" Snap demands. "He's killed our friends and family. He can't be allowed to pass on without suffering judgement."

A rallying cry of JUDGEMENT explodes from the mobbing crowd.

Poe glances at Finn, hoping to find help from him, but Finn's eyes burn with the same rage. He's almost shouting 'judgement' himself.

If he is honest with himself, Poe knows he would lose himself to the mob mentality too, bring justice to the fiend who destroyed so many. But Leia...

Snap and Beaumont draw their blasters free of their holsters.

Something large sinks within Poe. "Snap—"

"Let us at him, Poe."

He knows he should give up, step aside, let what must be come to pass, but... "I promised Leia. I can't let you through. Please..."

His pleas go unheeded. Poe and Beaumont surge forward, the crowd shifting with them.

Poe stands there, as if he might be enough to hold them back.

They don't hesitate.

Firm hands wrench Poe aside. "He's not worth it," Finn says, holding him closer than he has in days.

Poe loses himself at last, lets go of his sense of duty, turning into Finn as the others trample past them.

#

"Here they come," Kylo grumbles. He rises to his feet. He will not meet them on his knees.

Rose grits her teeth, takes a defensive stance as two men come in, blasters raised. Kylo has no names for them. One is portlier than the other. The other has a weasel face to rival Hux's.

They hesitate before Rose, the determined rage in their eyes easing.

"Not another step. He's not to be harmed," Rose tells them, her voice a frosty wind.

The men flinch, exchange quick glances, but are otherwise unmoved. "You don't owe him anything, Rose," the portlier one says.

"Just get out of the way. Please," the weasel adds.

Rose furiously shakes her head. "I made a promise to Leia. If you want him, you have to go through me."

"There are more of us," the weasel says.

"But I only need one of me."

Kylo smirks at her reply. A mistake. The two men shift their blasters, directing them at him.

Rose kicks out, disarms the weasel man. She caches his blaster in midair and brandishes it at him, her stunner focused on the second man.

"Damn," Kylo mutters just as two voices behind him echo the same.

"Stand down," Rose warns the two men, who exchange one more glance before fleeing out of the cave.

Kylo whistles. "Very impressive."

Rose blushes as she turns to face him, gives a mock bow. Her smile fades as her head comes back up. "They'll be back."

Kylo nods. He's already accepted the inevitability of them returning with more people. An acceptance that's leapt into a rather bizarre decision. "I don't think you should stand in their way again."

Luke's voice punctuates the air behind him. "Hello, there. Is he being chivalric?"

"My son? How disappointing!"

Kylo grinds his teeth to stop himself from retorting. It's nothing so noble. He's just taking a gamble that Rey will sense the unrest and stop it. There's no need for Rose to get caught up in it.

Rose who hasn't yet been able to find words to respond to his declaration. But she does then, as the rabble echoes again. "Why not?"

"I'm not worth it," he says. "So, just let them come, okay? I'll be fine."

"Well, well, well," Luke and Han mutter behind him.

He glowers back at them. "Oh, shut up!"

"They're still there, are they? The invisible people only you can see?"

He nods.

"Can they help you?"

He shakes his head.

Rose furrows her brow. "Kylo... Can I call you Kylo?"

"Sure," Kylo says, amused that she's worried about what to call him.

"I promised Leia—"

"I know," Kylo interjects, knowing the time is short as feet stomp towards them. "But she wouldn't want you to put yourself in dangerous. Not for me."

Eight people appear now, the portly man and the weasel in the lead.

Kylo shuffles forward quickly, placing himself between Rose and the mob. "I'm yours if you want."

Shock registers on the gathered faces as awestruck looks are exchanged.

Rose's hand tightens on his arm. "Are you crazy?"

Kylo shrugs. "I'm seeing people, aren't I?"

He throws a look back in time to see Han and Luke gaping at him. It's almost worth it to see them struck speechless.

"I'm looking for the ulterior motive here," Han says.

"Maybe there isn't one," Luke suggests.

"Impossible."

Kylo turns his gaze again, to meet Rose's this time, and reaches to her with the force, to pass into her mind one request. _When you have a chance, find Rey._

She starts at it, but gives a feeble mob as the crowd breaks from their own stupor at last and take hold of him.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen:**

* * *

"No need to be so rough," Kylo grunts as he's shoved and thrust out of the cave. He glances aside at the throng of gathered people and gets his first dose of panic. There are some thirty of them there. If they choose to be murderers before Rose gets here, there's a very good possibility he'll end up dead.

_Better not to think about that._

As they push him on, he catches sight of the man who was FN-2187 holding to Poe Dameron. How the tides have turned.

The one hopeful sight he gets is Rose slipping away unnoticed. Everything's going to be fine.

"Hold him there."

Kylo is jolted as he's jerked to a stop. Three pairs of hands remained locked on him, forcing him to his knees, pressing down on him.

The portly man faces him. Apparently this will be his judge.

"You are Kylo Ren," he says.

"Is that a question?"

The man grits his teeth. "Why are you here?"

Kylo waves his cuffed hands in the air. Panic flares in the man's eyes, and a pair of hands wrench them down.

"Calm down!" Kylo barks at the strain in his shoulders. "I was just trying to make a point."

"Why are you here?" the man demands again.

Kylo rolls his eyes, summons calm. He rattles his wrists. "Ask the person who clapped me in these."

"Just answer the question."

Kylo scoffs, shakes his head. "Obviously I'm here to destroy you. And isn't my grand evil scheme working just great. I have you right where I want you."

Voices clamour around him. Something large rams into his back, shoving him down. He hits the ground, breathes in a cloud of dirt. It starts him hacking like a fool.

Through the ringing in his ears, he can hear a sharp voice shouting, "Enough. Easy, now. Come on! Pick him up."

Someone grabs hold of the back of his shirt and heaves him off the ground. Kylo spits out the wad of mud, certain that he can count this amongst the lowest moments of his life.

Anger and fear crackle in the air, dangerous emotions creating an atmosphere ripe for chaos. He grimaces as it intensifies around him, a palpable force. _Hurry up, Rose._

"You should choose your words carefully," the portly man warns him. Weasel guy is at his side, glowering down at him.

Kylo meets his condemnation with slit eyes of his own. "What do you want from me?"

Silence rings in response. Kylo lifts his eyes, swivels his head, meeting as many eyes as possible. Most avert them.

"What is it that you expect from me?" he asks again. "An apology? A promise to do better, a plea for repentance? Do you want me to shoot myself?"

"I'd go for that one," Weasel guy interjects.

Kylo glares at him, bares his teeth. "Better yet, why don't you do it yourself?"

Now all eyes flicker aside, removing to meet his as he searches for the darkest soul, the one who would shoot him in cold blood. He knows, oh he knows so well, how easy words are, how hard actions are. He can still see Han Solo falling into the dark when he closes his eyes at night.

"So it seems we're at an impasse," Kylo says, a smug grin curving his lips.

Weasel takes a step forward then, raising his blaster to hang level with Kylo's temple. His friend wrenches him back.

"No."

Two more people surge into Kylo's line of vision. Poe and the man who was FN-2187.

"This has gone on long enough. Put that down, Beaumont. Let him go, Snap."

Beaumont-who-was-Weasel hesitates but the blaster is unmoved, lingering as ever, a threat. A hollow one, Kylo hopes.

"Beaumont!"

"Poe!"

_Finally._ Kylo swivels his head left as the crowd shifts as a whole to watch Leia stride from the village center, flanked on either side by Rose and Rey.

"Let him go," Leia says, waving her hand as if she means to wield the Force to do her bidding. The Resistance scatters as if she can, scattering before her commanding presence.

Kylo lingers on his knees, his eyes shifting from Leia to Rey. He grins, pleased to see a look of concern washed off her face, replaced with relief. She meets his eyes and he hurriedly averts his own. Rose's meet his now. He nods, a bob of gratitude. She smiles broadly at him and mouths, 'you owe me one'.

"I cannot believe it," Leia addresses her army with sharp disdain. "You are better than this. Better than them."

Snap clears his throat. There's a colour of shame in his face, but he has enough conviction to argue on. "With all due respect, General, he's a murderer."

"As we all are in this war."

"That's not—"

Leia turns burning eyes on Beaumont, effectively silencing him.

"Nothing is fair in war."

An older woman steps out of the crowd, deferential in stature, her hands clasped at her belly, her head diminutively angled down. "We just want to know what your plans are."

"I know," Leia says, "but I still do not know the direction to take. When I do, I will let you know. You have my word. Do I have your trust?"

"You have mine," Poe speaks up quickly.

"And mine," the man who was FN-2187 echoes.

Kylo rolls his eyes as a murmuring of acquiescence ripples through the crowd. A bunch of cowards they are. No one willing to pull the trigger. How can they hope to defeat the First Order if they can't even kill him when he's thrown like a gift at their feet.

The crowd disperses, answering a call from Leia he didn't hear. The only people who remain with her are Rey, Rose, Poe, and he who was FN-2187.

Relief sags Leia's shoulders. She turns tired eyes on him.

He rises to his feet at last, shaking his head. "Well, that was exciting."

She smirks at that. "I'm glad you think so."

"What now?"

"Now, we discuss a plan."

* * *

**AN: Apologies, dear readers, this might not be the most exciting of chapters. These days are a little tough, but I'll keep posting every five days. Things will get interesting again soon.**

**Thanks as ever for reading :)**


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen:**

**AN Apologies in advance as there should be more to this chapter but I wasn't going to have it up in time so I cut it a little short ;P**

* * *

Rey had worried for one bitter moment, some sixty breaths taken when she felt a nauseating stab of fear for Ben Solo. It passed, been for naught, but for that moment, those excruciating sixty breaths, it forced her to recognize the depth of her bond with the man who insisted on being Kylo Ren.

Standing between Finn and Rose in Leia's cave, Rey keeps her gaze firmly on Leia, waiting for her to speak, to bring to light the discovery they had made. Rose had interrupted the small victory they'd known, anxiety replacing relief. With relief restored once more, Rey allows herself to feel that excitement once more, of knowing that there is a way.

If Kylo... if Ben... agrees to help.

"We found something," Leia addresses the group in her usual calm tone. There's not even a thrill of emotion in her voice—no excitement, no triumph. Ever poised. In that moment, Rey's deep respect for her trebles.

"What did you find?" Kylo asks, just as calm, just as stoic.

Leia slips the pocket sized book free from the folds of her cape.

Kylo staggers forward. It's an inadvertent move, Rey can tell by the way he grimaces and retreats again. But he can't hide the expression that glimmered in his eyes at the sight of the book. Intrigue.

Leia must have seen it too. A crooked grin curves her lips. "C-3PO was able to translate some of the text for us. Unfortunately, there is a language used here that goes beyond even his knowledge. From what he was able to discern, answers might be found in a temple on a planet referred here only as 'the Heart of the Jedi'."

"The Whills," Kylo suggests at once. "But Jedha was destroyed."

Rey knows the story. It's a tale of heroism passed around in the Resistance, one that honours the group of rebels that gave their lives to retrieve the plans for the first Death Star, a mission that ultimately brought Leia, Luke, and Han together.

A stab of sadness strikes Rey in the heart. Once three. Now only one. If she looks closely enough, she can see those lines of sorrow woven into Leia's face.

"The Holy City was destroyed," Leia corrects him. "But I do not believe this refers to Jedha."

"Not to mention that Jedha's a moon, NaJedha's the planet," Rose adds, in a very matter-of-fact tone.

"And what precisely are we trying to find in this temple?" Poe asks.

"A way to destroy the Sith," Leia says simply. "Once and for all."

A shivering ripple of foreboding reverberates through the room. Rey trembles at the sense of it. Leia and Kylo flinch the same. Even Finn grimaces, though Rose and Poe remain oblivious to the disturbance in the Force.

"You can't destroy the Sith without destroying the Jedi," Kylo says. "The balance of the universe will be overthrown if you remove only one." His eyes lock with Leia. "Are you prepared to do anything to secure peace?"

"I am," she replies steadily.

Kylo shifts his eyes to next connect with Rey's. She can't help but step back at the intensity in his gaze. It's without anger. But his eyes look deeper than her own, to her soul. "And you?"

She straightens her back, lifts her chin high. "I am."

Kylo nods, glances back at Leia. "So, where are we expected to find this planet?"

"Hold on!" Poe exclaims, jumping back into the conversation. "This is a Resistance mission. There's no we." His surge of certainty wilts as a long pause meets his declaration. He casts a despondent gaze at Leia. "Right?"

"This quest is bigger than the Resistance. That's why I need all of you to work together."

A cacophony of noise barrages the inner chamber of the cave.

"Nope. Nope. Nope," Finn intones again and again over

Poe saying, "I will not be flying anywhere with that scum," over

Kylo saying, "Rey and I are enough. We don't need to be held back by others," over

Rose saying, "Awesome!"

Rey has her reservations as well, but she keeps them to herself. She trusts Leia. The idea of Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren sharing one confined space for an extended period of time can only lead to disaster and rage.

"Enough!" Leia's voice cleaves through the rabble, not a scream, only raised enough to be heard. And firm enough to be obeyed. The quiet that falls teems with displeasure, but quiet it remains, eyes lingering on Leia in wait. "I know this situation is not one you would care for. But this is where we are. But Poe. Finn." Her sharp eyes land on each in turn. "If you would rather not, I'll find two others to take your place."

"Good luck with that," Kylo mutters.

Rey can't help but agree with that proclamation. If Poe and Finn won't accept Kylo in their gang, there's little to absolutely no chance that anyone else on this planet will.

Leia takes a heavy breath. It seems to age her, as if she's breathing in the years of weariness she's lived so far. "This may be our best chance at ending the war. Please."

Poe and Finn exchange a glance. Whatever silent conversation they share is one that Rey can't detect, but she senses at least, with relief, that they are considering this seriously.

"Fine," Poe says. "We'll do it."

The gratitude aglow in Leia's eyes adds a warmth to the room. It eases some of the age in her face.

Rey glances at Kylo, hoping to see some emotion on his face. To know what he will do. His lips are pursed in a thin scowl. His eyes slit with disappointment. They turn towards her as her gaze lingers. His voice is in her head. _I don't like this._

_You don't have a choice,_ she communicates back to him.

Kylo shrugs. _You do realize you'll be playing peacekeeper._

She does. She did. She is not looking forward to it. But she'll play whatever part she has to for Leia.

"So, where do we start the search for the planet?" Finn asks.

"I had the idea of searching on Ahch-To," Rey speaks up. "Luke might know something. Maybe I can reach him there."

"We don't have to go that far," Kylo says. He nods over his shoulder. "He's right here."


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**CHAPTER NINETEEN:**

**AN: I am so sorry for being late with this newest chapter. I'm hoping to have the next one up tomorrow. *fingers crossed***

* * *

Kylo blinks back at the astonished expressions. For the most part, they're looking at him like he's gone mad. One person has a bit more sense. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the best choice of words to offer in his defence.

"So, you're not crazy?" Rose asks, pleasantly surprised. "You really were seeing people."

"People?" Leia repeats. "More than one?"

Kylo turns towards her, but refuses to meet her eye. It's one thing for him to share the fact that Luke's been haunting him all day, but he doesn't know how Leia will react to the knowledge that Han is there too. It's as much a matter of concern for her as for him and it stabs through him like a lightsaber.

He sucks in a deep breath.

"What is it?" Rey asks, stepping towards him, a hand outstretched, as if she means to catch him or hold him up.

"Nothing," he mutters. But these annoying pangs are teetering on the edge of wearying and worrisome.

The one benefit is that Leia doesn't ask again who else is with him. He uses this moment of leverage to convey the information Luke has passed on to him.

"He says that we should go to Ahch-To. That there are runes there that can lead us towards our destination."

"How do we know he's telling the truth?" Finn interjects, Poe nodding at his back with the same suspicious look.

"Why would I lie about that when Rey just suggested we go there?" Kylo retorts. He is not going to enjoy traveling around with these two.

"It could be a trap."

"Believe what you want."

"I believe him," Rose pipes up. "And we'll all have to learn to trust one another if we want to do this right."

Kylo doesn't miss the look that Leia bestows on her, the gratitude, the hope. The pain rears itself again within his chest, but now it feels like someone tearing him apart. With a grunt, he falls to one knee.

"Ben." Leia's voice mingles with Rey's into one low harmony of fear.

He grits his teeth, waiting for the feeling to pass. It takes longer, but it fades eventually, leaving a dull ache in his core.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Kylo declares, rising up before anyone can try to help him. Leia and Rey are closer to him than before, but both are maintaining a distance. Who they're distancing for, him or them, is a question left unanswered.

"Are you sure?" Rey asks.

"Yes," he snaps back at her and turns away before the hurt look in her expression can bid guilt to rise. "We're wasting time here. If you want to succeed, you need to act quickly."

Leia nods slowly. Her eyes are on the ground, purposefully avoiding his. "Right. You'll take the Millennium Falcon. Bring Chewie along with you. And Threepio. R2 as well. And BB-8." She lifts her head at last to stare at Poe. "Go on. You and Finn. Start the preparations."

Poe takes a deep breath. It expels without a word. And here Kylo was expecting one final attempt to argue his way out of this.

Once the two of them are gone, Leia turns to Rey and Rose. "Gather the rest of the books to bring with you in case. We'll be with you shortly."

Rey glances once more at him. He meets her stare, not sure what she's trying to tell him through it. He's trying to listen to what thoughts might pass from her, but all is silent, and her brows are knit together tight with concern when Rose drags her away.

A tremor ripples through the room when just he and Leia are left behind. They play a long game of 'avoid-the-other's-eyes'. Kylo's certain he can win it.

"Is is Han? The other person?" Leia asks at last.

Kylo gives one curt nod without looking up.

"Good. I'm glad."

"Really? I'm not." He looks up at once.

Her eyes fall down in turn.

"Your lack of affection hurts me," Han says over his shoulder.

Kylo doesn't bother looking back to see him. He's more intrigued by how Leia refuses to look at him after making such a stink earlier about his refusal to meet her gaze. "Is there something wrong with my face?"

Leia's head angles up, but her eyes don't move further than his chest. "No."

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not." Her eyes lift all the way and bore into his. "The pain you keep feeling..."

"What of it?"

"She knows," Han whispers behind him.

"Or supposes," Luke's voice chimes in.

This time, Kylo does round on his ghostly companions. "What do you know?"

Luke averts his gaze, but Han's eyes don't flicker or blink, firm on his. "You're changing."

"Ben?"

Kylo rounds on Leia again. He can almost feel two pairs of hands, each wrapped around one of his arms, trying to pull him in half.

"I'm sorry for failing you."

The words stab him through. It feels like he's shattering inside. His vision goes black. When it clears again, he's on all fours, chest heaving, tears stinging his eyes. And Leia is there beside him, a hand on his back.

"What's happening to me?" he asks, his voice ragged. Through the last vestiges of pain, an emotion rolls with a new vehemence. Fear. As he hasn't felt before. Not even when he faced Hux in the hangar. But he feels it now, knows it like a second skin that means to strangle him.

**_... you are falling apart ..._**

If he wasn't spiralling before, he is now, into a darkness within him. That voice. How can that voice be in his head?

_**... you are splintering, torn into two. in your weakness, we are strong ...**_

"Get out of my head!" Kylo roars. He slams his fist down hard on the ground. The earth ripples and shakes, a tremor of his frustration.

_**... two energies. one body. come undone ...**_

"Ben?" A hand, soft, clasps his own, lifts it up, a tender gesture that bids the pain to reign anew until a whole second of time is lost to him. When he comes back to, he is on the ground, curled in a ball.

"Ben!" Leia's voice rages in his ears.

His mother's voice.

_**... kylo ren and ben solo struggling to be. to become one wholly is to kill the other. which are you? ren or solo? ...**_

It hurts just to lift his head as wave after wave of that shattering sensation crashes through him. When he speaks, it is not his voice. They are not his words. _**"**__**... hello, general ..."**_

He feels himself falling away, losing control of himself. He can hear the words, see Leia retreating from him, fighting to keep a passive face even as her horror ripples through the universe, a palpable wave, feel his limbs moving on the accord of another.

He screams into the void, a silent cry of rage that echoes on and on around him.

"Who are you?" Leia asks, rising over him.

_**" ... you know who we are ..."**_

Trapped in the blackness of his mind, Kylo builds a wall.

_**... what are you doing? ...**_

_Get out of my head._

_**... you have no power ...**_

_I have power yet._

_**... we will come again ...**_

_You can try._

The roar of their screams passes from his lips, and then it is done, cut off, as he surges forward again, breaking through the cloud of helplessness. He comes back into his body as the weight of the Sith is lifted from him.

"It's okay. They're gone. It's me," he reassures a stricken Leia before his consciousness flees from him.


	21. Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER** TWENTY**

**AN: As promised, a new chapter one day later. Hope you're all keeping safe 3**

* * *

Hux comes back into himself on his knees in his private quarters. For one brief, glorious moment, he stood in Kylo Ren's body, stared into General Organa's eyes, so wide and dark with concern, with fear. He fed on the turmoil within Kylo, one he hadn't known to exist in the time he had know him. But there it was, a rift building between the two parts in one whole. Tearing Ren apart.

_**... and as long as he is divided, we can strike and win ...**_

The moment he had to look presented a fleeting glimpse of their surroundings.

_**... do you know where they are? ...**_

The cave was too banal to stand out, but sight was not the only sense gained in that period of time when he had been Ren. Memory too. Of a moment aboard the _Millennium Falcon_, of coordinates on a screen.

"I might have an idea..."

#

Poe and Finn load supplies onto the _Millennium Falcon_. Chewie helps, growling all the while.

"What's he saying?" Finn asks as Chewie gives a particularly loud roar amidst a rumbling of unintelligible Wookie.

Poe shrugs. "Beats me. But I can guess at it well enough." He deepens his voice and growls. "I hate that Kylo Ren. Does he really have to come with us? I'd much rather tear his head from his body."

Finn guffaws. Chewie gives an appreciate grunt as he passes them going down the ramp as they ascend into the ship.

C-3PO jabbers away with R2-D2 in one corner. BB-8 rolls along behind Poe. He doesn't stop fast enough when Poe does and rams hard into the back of his boot.

"Eyes on the road, BB," Poe grins down at his droid and gives him an affectionate pet. "You sure you're ready for this trip, buddy?"

BB-8 whirs and rolls eagerly.

"And you?" Finn asks. "You ready?"

Poe, in his crouched position, stares up at Finn. "Not really. But at least I have you with me."

"And who do I have?" Finn asks, his lips curved in a teasing crook. One that quickly falters back into a frown. "I don't trust him."

"We'll just need to keep alert," Poe says, rising and clapping a hand on Finn's shoulder. "Look out for each other. And for Rey."

"Rey," Finn repeats absentmindedly. "I'm worried about the hold he has on her."

"I know, Finn. Hey." Poe cups Finn's cheek, angles his head closer to his own. "We're going to be okay. Promise."

Finn rests his brow against Poe's. "I'm still a little mad at you."

"Understandably."

Poe shifts his head up, his lips seeking Finn's. Finn responds, bridging the gap, bringing their lips together into one sweet, tender embrace.

"I hate you," Finn mutters into Poe's mouth.

Poe chuckles into his as they pull apart. "There are days I hate myself too. But not today." He breaks away from Finn and sighs. "I wish it were just you and I on this mission."

"Rey and Rose aren't—" But what they aren't remains unsaid. Finn furrows his brow, presses a hand against his forehead, grimacing.

"Finn?" Poe steadies him, in case, two hands planted on either shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Something's happening." As the words pass from Finn's lips,

**...**

**...**

so three pass from Rey's. "Something isn't right."

"What?"

But Rose's question goes unanswered as Rey turns on her heel and flees back to the caves. Rose is a step behind her. And somewhere behind her she is aware that Finn and Poe are racing in the same direction.

_Ben?_

She flings his name out through the universe, guided by the Force, but there is no reply. Only a palpable fear cleaving through like a sharp blade.

_Leia?_

The answer is another emotion. Uncertainty mingled with concern.

The truth of what has come to pass reveals itself as Rey stumbles into the cave to the sight of Leia kneeling on the ground, Kylo—no, Ben's—head resting on her lap.

"What happened?" Rey asks, falling on the ground beside her. She touches a finger to Ben's naked wrist and feels the steady, slow pulse. He's not dead. Only... Injured? Unconscious?

"It happened so quickly, I can't be sure," Leia replies. She touches a hand to her face, a face so drawn with lines of weariness and grief. "I never understood until now just how real Kylo Ren was, and just how deep he had imprisoned Ben Solo."

"What does that mean?"

Feet tread on the ground. Rey senses each presence. Rose. Finn. Poe. They are speechless, breathless from running, but without words to speak.

"The part of him that is Ben is trying to break free, but it's killing that part of him that is Kylo Ren. And in the struggle, the Sith possessed him. He fought back," Leia adds hurriedly as terror reigns over Rey's face. "They're gone. I think. But for a second..."

Leia bends low, brushing her lips delicately against Ben's brow. He stirs without waking.

"So, what do we do?" Rey asks. "To restore Ben without killing him?"

"I don't know yet, and there's so much more that we have to do before we worry about that." Her voice is strained as she speaks, torn with the decision she's spoken. "You have to go." Leia looks up, over Rey's shoulder, to where Poe, Rose, and Finn are still standing in silent wait. "Take him with you. When he wakes, insist that he keep a wall, that he force Ben down until this is done."

"But what if it's Ben we need?" Rey asks.

"There's no time right now, Rey," Leia says, gently, but firmly. "I fear..."

Rey knows it then, the concern. If the Sith possessed Ben for even a second... "They might know where we are."

"We need to move the Resistance. And you need to find a way to destroy the Sith."

Leia turns her head down once more, strokes a hand through Ben's hair. "I hope we shall see each other again," she whispers to him, "when this is done and we have won."

Rey turns away from this farewell from a mother to her son. She meets Rose's eye, then Poe's, then Finn's. Something like sympathy is reflected in each.

Leia's voice calls for Poe and Finn to come and take Ben away. Their teeth are clenched, their expressions begrudging, but they comply without complaint.

Before they go, she claps a hand on each of their shoulders. "Be safe. And don't let your heads get too hot."

"We won't let you down," Poe promises fervently.

Leia hugs Rose next and sends her off with a simple, "Stay true to yourself."

Rose sniffles and takes off.

Alone with Leia, Rey struggles for the perfect words to tell her all she feels, all the love she's known for her, all the gratitude she possesses for this surrogate mother.

"We'll go to the prison planet, I think," Leia says. "Once you're gone, we'll make preparations. Don't worry about us."

"And don't worry about him. I'll protect him."

"Protect yourself." Leia pulls her into an embrace, one that Rey could stay in forever, knowing that love and hope holds her safe. "I am so proud of you, Rey."

"I owe you so much," Rey murmurs, fighting the welling tears, as Leia lets her go.

As one, they say, "May the Force be with you."

One last smile passes between them before Rey too takes her leave, sending wishes into the universe that they will all see each other again one day.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One:**

* * *

The hum of the _Millennium Falcon_ bursting to life is a dim buzz in Rey's ears. She should feel something as they rise through the planet's atmosphere and burst into hyperspace, tearing away from the world she's grown accustomed to, but her mind is centred and focused here and now. On the unconscious form of Kylo Ben—that's how she's thinking of him now, as two souls contained within one body. Leia instructed her to keep that piece of Ben repressed, so she will try.

Laying her hand upon Kylo's, Rey reaches out with her mind, through the force, trying to break the obstruction that stops her again and again from beaching his own thoughts. It's an impossible task that leaves her panting as she pulls away at last, admitting defeat for the moment.

"He is going to wake up, right?" Rose asks. She's seated at the small table with C-3PO and R2-D2.

"He should," Rey says, but there's little she can grasp onto to convince herself that it is a certainty at all.

Artoo whistles tempestuously.

"Now why would you say something like that, Artoo," Threepio chides him.

"What did he say?" Rose asks.

"He says it would be better if he didn't."

Rey frowns down at Artoo. "He has too much of Luke in him."

Artoo whistles again.

"He takes it as a compliment," Threepio tells them.

Rey manages a smile at that. "I'll be right back."

Leaving Kylo in good hands, Rey heads for the bridge. Finn, Poe, and Chewie are holed up together. Their loud voices guide her in, but they swiftly fall silent as her presence comes in. Not before she overhears their exchange:

"...bring more trouble than we need."

"Maybe we can leave him on Ahch-To."

"And how would we pass that by..."

Finn's last word goes unsaid, but Rey needs only one guess to figure the name that would have left his lips.

"No, you wouldn't be able to get it past me," she informs them with a smirk.

Finn laughs nervously. "What's that?"

Rey leans against the frame of the passage. "We are not abandoning him on Ahch-To."

"Shame," Poe sighs. "Is he awake yet?"

"No, but I'm hoping he will be soon."

"Shame. I rather like him asleep."

Poe's flippant remark steals a laugh from Finn. He tries to stifle it under Rey's withering glower, but Chewie's rough har-har-har keeps his grin on.

Against their humour, Rey's anger swells. A tide she doesn't keep in. "I know he's not been the best of people"—Poe scoffs—"Fine, he's been a real monster. I'll admit it. But he can change. And I want you to give him a chance to prove it to."

"We're traveling together, aren't we?" Poe gestures at the outer world of hyperspace. "That's trusting."

"But if you treat him like he's evil, you'll assure he stays that way."

"But he is evil," Finn says. "He's killed—"

"I know." Rey kneads her brow. She doesn't know what words to find to convince them that Kylo deserves the chance to make amends for the horrors he's wrought, to prove that he can be a better man than he's been. "Just... Try to give him a chance. There's a war within him. Leia explained to me before we left. There's a part of him that is Ren, but a part of him that is Ben."

Amusement lights up their faces. She smirks too. The rhyming is funny. But this is serious. She clears her throat. "He's trying to become Ben again. It's hurting him. But he's trying."

Poe and Finn exchange a look. In silence, they exchange thoughts, before turning back to her.

"And you think that if he becomes Ben it erases everything he did as Ren?" Finn asks, highly sceptical.

"Not erases, but it means he's a different person. Someone worth having on our side."

Skepticism blazes across Poe's face, but Finn gives a curt nod. "Fine. I'll give him a chance."

It's the same half-hearted reluctance he gave to Leia, and Rey can't help feeling that they're running around in the same circle, going nowhere new.

But Poe strikes the final chord as he meets her gaze. "For you, Rey, I'll give him a chance, but let's make it clear now. If he threatens this mission and the Resistance in any way, I'll do what I have to do, and I won't lose a wink of sleep over it."

#

Unaware of the conversations encircling him, Kylo slips further into the blackness of his own unconscious self, into Ren. There's nothing but an empty void, and then, a mirror appears.

The reflection within it is his, and yet not his.

Ben cocks his head to one side, surveying him in turn. "Huh. You don't look so tough from this angle."

Ren glowers back at him. "Well, misleading appearance and all that. Who are you supposed to be?"

"The light to your darkness. The Jedi to your Sith. The—"

"I get it!"

Ben rests a hand against the mirror. A crack splinters at the soft touch.

...

the sleeping Kylo tosses, a spasm of pain creasing his face.

...

Ben quickly withdraws his hand. The crack disappears.

"What are you afraid of?" Ren asks.

"Of killing us."

"I'm stronger than I look," Ren reminds him.

Ben gives a solemn shake. "You're holding on by wispy threads now, I'm afraid. Your demise is inevitable. Mine remains to be seen."

"Cocky shit like your father," Ren mutters. He extends a hand, reaching out with the Force.

Ben falls to his knees, spluttering as Ren's chokehold tightens, squeezing the life out of him. "If you die," Ren says, slowly approaching the mirror, "I live."

"If I die, you will never be free," Ben chokes through. "And Rey..."

Ren loosens his grip, intrigue flashing across his face. "What about Rey?"

Ben coughs as his air passage opens up once more. "She needs me. Not you."

Ren staggers back as a red jet of lightning sparks between him and the mirror.

Hux's face, red and pulsating, appears in the smoke and flames. **_"_****_... _****_where are you going, Ren? ..."_**

...

Kylo twists violently in his sleep. Rose rushes to his side, grabs hold of his arm, trying to still him. He flings her off with a burst of strength. She sprawls upon the floor.

...

Hux's face looms larger, demanding, red eyes blazing. _**"**__**... tell us ..."**_

Ren falls to his knees, ears pressed against his head.

Behind the mirror, Ben shrivels, fading out of existence. His voice, a low cry, echoes dimly before dying away with him. "... don't tell them ..."

But Ren's lips are pried apart by the force of the Sith as this internal turmoil weakens his resistance. "Ahch-To," he rasps...

...

... Kylo surges awake, gasping and panting, he retches, but it's only a dry heave, empty though it is taxing.

Rose staggers to her feet, clutching her shoulder. "Ben...?"

He turns to her with bloodshot eyes, his face gaunt and pale. "We're in trouble."

* * *

**AN: New chapter up in time. I hope you're enjoying this story as much as I am writing it. I'll be sad when it's over :*(**


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

* * *

If hatred could kill, Kylo would be dead. Luckily for them all, he's still standing, impervious to the disgust rolling off Poe and Finn.

Rey is stuck in the middle, arms outstretched. This is not the turn of events she had hoped for. The First Order knows they are making for Ahch-To, but they still have the advantage of time on their side. They just have to be quick, get the information they need and hightail back into the hyperspace without dying. No problem.

Except...

"Even if we get it off Ahch-To in one piece with the information we need, what's going to stop Lord Big Mouth here from giving away our next destination?" Poe demands, laying forth the trouble niggling at the back of Rey's mind.

It's a big problem.

Kylo clenches a fist. There's a rippling in the air, a rage of Force reaching out.

Rey turns on him, eyes flaring. "Careful," she warns him. "Temper."

He meets her gaze with scorn, but the air relaxes, peace an uneasily won companion. "I can keep my mind shut," he says, addressing her, ignoring the others. "It won't happen again."

"And how sure are you of that?" Finn asks.

"Pretty sure," Kylo replies, casting him a stoic look.

Finn and Poe exchange a glance.

"Maybe," Rose speaks up then, drawing everyone's attention. "Maybe we should just keep our destination a secret. Rey can find out the coordinates. If Kylo doesn't know them, he can't tell them. It's simple really."

Relief wells in Rey. Trust Rose to be the clear-headed one. "Perfect. Does that satisfy everyone?"

It's remarkable how alike the three men look as they shrug with noncommittal expressions on their face. "Okay. Great. Because we're coming out of hyperspace."

#

Luke is waiting for them when they set down on the island. Rey cries out his name at the sight of him, an excited greeting. Kylo lingers a bit behind. There's something about this island that sets his nerves on end. There's a new buzzing in his ear, growing louder and insistent. It wants him to fall over. But he stays standing against it, ignoring the sharp glances coming from Finn and Poe, ignoring the way Luke keeps glancing at him over Rey's shoulder with mild sympathy.

Rose's idea to keep him ignorant is fine, but he has a better idea. He should just take off on his own. Escape to a corner of the galaxy where he doesn't have to deal with war. Solitude sounds lovely to him.

"Well, don't just stand there."

Luke's sharp tone draws him back to the moment.

Kylo grits his teeth, but he storms forward as Rey and Luke head up along a path. The others remain behind, on watcher duty.

"So, you're not haunting me anymore," he says to Luke, less of a question than a statement.

"You were unconscious for so long. Grew tired of waiting for you to wake up. Good job by the way with telling the First Order where to find you."

"You know, I was fine until I ended up with the Resistance."

"No, you were not fine. You're still not fine. And you won't be fine til this is dealt with," Luke says calmly. "That war in you might just kill you, kid."

"So I keep hearing."

"Why is that?" Rey interjects then.

"Because if he is too much of Kylo, freeing Ben could be the death of him."

Kylo grits his teeth. Even the sound of Ben's name sets his nerves on edge. He feels like he could break apart.

"Oops," Luke says. "You've got to have better control than that if you want to survive."

Kylo glowers at him. "So, where are you taking us?"

"To the mirror," Luke replies. "You'll have to pass through it to find the answers you're looking for. Though I don't think it's a good idea for you to try if a name breaks through your armour."

"I can go alone," Rey says gently.

"No," Kylo insists. "I'm stronger than I look."

"Kylo..."

He hesitates at that. "You've stopped calling me... the other thing. Are you that worried about me falling apart?"

Her eyes are conflicted, torn with concern, worn with weariness. "I'm just trying to be careful."

"Well, I'm not some fragile piece of glass. So stop it."

Silence keeps them until they reach a large hole in the ground. Dark roots spill out from it.

Luke gestures invitingly. "After you. But be careful. And quick."

Rey breathes in deep, then extends a hand to Kylo. He stares down at it hard, puzzled by it. But he takes it. And feels as he does, a different rippling of emotions through him.

Rey gasps, and he knows she feels it too. The Force binding them.

They jump, fall into a deep lake of water.

It's all darkness except for a strange glow coming from a small inlet at one end.

They swim together, strokes matched, and clamber onto the firm land.

Their reflections greet them.

"The mirror?"

She nods. "Do you remember that night last year when I told you of facing myself?"

He does remember. The night he realized how deep their bond ran, how they had touched fingers though they were galaxies apart.

"This was where it happened," she explains, though it isn't necessary. He put that together.

They step up to the reflective glass together and rest their palms against it.

At once, a figure shimmers into view before him. He recognizes him at once as Ben Solo.

"You keep saying you're strong enough, but you're not."

Pain explodes in him. He crumples to his knees, hands pressed firmly against the glass. Dark laughter echoes in his head. Hux's face flashes across his eyes.

"Ben?"

She calls him Ben. She doesn't know. "They're close now," he tells her, pulling away from the glass, panting as the agony rolls slowly away. "I can't — Go on without me."

#

"Go on without me." Rey hears his words, sees his struggle, and heeds him though her heart is torn. She has to hurry if she wants this to be done.

A dark silhouette takes shape in the mirror. Her own. She wields a red lightsaber, darkness curling out from her.

"No," Rey gasps. "No."

The Sith Rey glares back at her. "It would be so easy. To fall to the dark side. The Sith want you. Accept them and you can save the world."

"No," Rey says again. "No."

"I have seen your future. If you refuse me now, Finn will die, and Poe, and Finn. And Ben. And then you."

"That is not my future." Rey draws her own lightsaber, the blue light refracting around her.

She stabs it through the mirror.

It fractures, splintering around her, the image breaking away with it.

_... rey..._

The voice that calls to her is calm, gentle. It beckons her forward.

She follows it. An orb hovers in the darkness, aglow with a bluish light. As she comes closer she sees what it really is. A map.

#

Finn and Poe lean against the _Millennium Falcon__,_ their eyes on the horizon.

"Either he's going to be the death of us, or I'm going to be the death of him," Poe tells Finn in a dark voice.

Finn shivers at the intensity in the words.

"You should be a little more empathetic," Rose calls from the other side of the ship. She's keeping her eyes out on that side, waiting for danger.

"Like he was?"

"You have to be better than him."

"I already am."

The back and forth sets a headache in Finn's temple. He clutches Poe's shoulder, squeezes it tenderly. "You are. We know that."

"Then why do I hate myself?"

It's a question that remains unanswered for the moment as Chewie lets out a howling wail.

Finn turns in the direction of the Wookiee. He sees it too. Three dark ships bursting into view across the dusk sky.

* * *

**AN: Some action at last, am I right ;)**

**Hope you're keeping well, dear readers 3**


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

* * *

Finn flies across the crags of the mountainside. This island is not an easy one to manoeuvre through, with its cliffs and ragged landscape. He stumbles over some loose rocks, but the pounding pulse of adrenaline drives him on, keeps him moving forward, all the while crying out for Rey.

He sees the force ghost of Luke first, hovering before a large hole in the ground. As Finn approaches it, he can feel the wave of energy washing out of it. It causes him to falter for the first time since he took off running. Panting, he leans against a rock, peering down into the darkness. It almost feels like the raw power is settling within him, tendrils curling around him, looking for an entry point.

"Finn!"

Rey's voice echoes over the distance, pulling him back to the present.

She's hauling herself out of the hole, dripping wet. A bag at her hip bulges. Whatever they came for, she has it safe. One good thing. Now if only they make it out alive.

"They're here," he calls down to her, pointing out at the sky, to the three fighters growing ever bigger as they come for them. "We have to go!"

Rey is out of the hole, Ren pulling himself out behind her, when the first shots are fired.

#

"We're sitting ducks here." Rose cranes forward in the bridge as the fighters pass over them, coming back around. The first shot just missed them, breaking the land to the right of the _Falcon_. "We have to take off."

"And leave the others behind?" Poe stares at her like she's lost her mind.

"No. Just—"

The next shot rocks the _Falcon_ harder than the first. It's a direct hit, their deflector shield alone protecting them from destruction.

"Just take off," Rose continues. She rises from her seat. "Chewie and I will man the guns. Just get us in the air. We can pick the others up."

"Right!" Poe yells after her, but she's already gone.

#

Rey gapes as the _Falcon_ rises into the air and slips off, the three fighters at her back.

"What now?" Kylo asks in a hollow voice.

The comm link at Finn's hip buzzes to life with Poe's voice. "Finn? Buddy? Can you hear me?"

Finn wrenches it free, lifts it up to his mouth. "Yeah. We're here. I got Rey and... the other one."

Kylo rolls his eyes, mutters something under his breath. Rey faintly understands three words 'nonsense', 'fools', and 'carrion'.

"We're trying to shake these guys off. Can you gain some altitude? We might have to pick you up in flight."

"We'll do our best."

Rey flinches as a red jet of energy narrowly misses the _Falcon_. A few yellow blasts respond. One connects with a fighter and it blows up in midair.

"Rose has good aim." It's all Rey has time to appreciate before they take off running up that hill. Kylo and Finn are at her heel, darting along the narrow passageway weaving up the cliffs.

Above them, blast shots echo a concerning fare.

"Look out!" Kylo's sudden call draws her attention up in time to see a destroyed fighter crashing down over them. He knocks her aside as a fragment of shrapnel crashes into the place where she just stood.

He raises his hands and the falling debris slows and diverts their trajectory at his prompting, falling away.

Rey rises unsteadily. Finn is on the ground too, having taken cover.

"That was close," he says as he stands with her. He glances uncertainty at Kylo. "Thanks," he says after a long pause, as if the word causes him some great pain to speak.

"I didn't do it for you." Kylo glances pointedly at Rey.

She blinks once at him before the sound of fighting above forces her focus back to the moment. "We have to keep going," she insists, taking off at a run once more.

#

Poe leads the _Falcon_ into a sharp dive, holding close to the island. He pulls up sharply, but the last fighter isn't easily diverted. It keeps on his tail, firing away. This last one is not going to be easy to shake, but he does his best, veering left and right, up and down, with such violent randomness that Rose shouts up at him, "Will you stop doing that!"

"I'm just trying to keep us alive," he shouts back at her.

"I can't aim with you performing your acrobatics."

"And that's my fault!"

"Just keep her steady, Poe!"

"Fine!" He pulls straightens the _Falcon_, flying low over the ocean, pulling further and further away from the island, from their friends.

The water ahead of them ripples with the falling blast from the fighter. Poe veers again...

#

... Rose takes aim, catching the Fighter in her sight. Three shots and it's down, spiralling out of the air, to crash down into the ocean.

She falls back in her seat, releasing a deep sigh of relief.

But there's a big smile on her lips. Exhilaration and triumph blending in one beautiful symphony as Poe gives a hooting holler from the bridge.

The victory is short lived. Rose presses closer to glass as three more fighters descend from the sky.

#

Rose, Finn, and Kylo press close together on the precipice of one craggy cliff as the _Falcon_ flies on a straight course toward them. Three fighters break through the cloud cover, not too far behind.

"We're lowering the gangway," Poe's voice crackles out of the comms. "You'll have to make a jump for it."

"Great," Finn mutters.

They back away from the edge, to give them room to make the leap. "You go first," Rey tells him. "It'll be easier for Kylo and I to make it."

"Way to make a guy feel incompetent."

The _Falcon_ slows as it approaches, curving towards them, so that the ramp is nearly level with them. Rose leans out, gripping a pole to hold her in place, one hand extended, ready to help them up.

"Go!" Rey shoves Finn forward.

He surges like a blast, legs straining, gathering momentum, before he pushes off the ground and leaps.

His hand meets Rose's in a firm clutch. She heaves him up, pulling him past her. He nearly trips, but keeps his balance as he makes it to the safety of the _Falcon_'s interior.

Rey and Kylo exchange a glance. "Together?" she asks.

He nods.

They match pace as they race for the ship, the fighters drawing ever nearer. With the Force on their side, they make the landing and scramble up the ramp after Rose.

"Go!" Rose shouts to Poe.

The _Falcon_ zips forward, throwing the four companions off kilter.

Rey and Kylo reach instinctively for each other to hold themselves up, Rose and Finn finding similar balance together.

For a brief second, their eyes meet. Rey pulls away first. "Stay here," she tells him sharply, heading for the bridge to share their destination with Poe safely away from Kylo's ears.

#

Aboard the _Leviathan,_ Hux watches as the _Falcon_ evades the waves of assault laid against them, bursting freely into hyperspace.

_**... they got away ...**_

"I can see that. What now?"

_**... we will follow them. search yourself and you will see ...**_

Hux shuts his eyes. He takes a deep breath, reaching out across the thread that now runs from him to Kylo, one laid out when they briefly connected in Kylo's weakness. It cannot be severed; it will lead him true.

"Then, I will send men after them."

_**... no. we will go after them this time. and they will not escape ...**_

* * *

**AN: Hope that's a bit more action after lots of dialogue heavy chapters. I'd like to promise it'll continue, but the next one will feature lots of bantering ;P**


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four:**

* * *

Rey sits with Poe in the bridge as they zip through hyperspace. She keeps going back to the mirror in the underground cave. To the image of herself, a Sith. To the threat of loss, of death. To Kylo on the ground, unable to break through. She should ask him what happened. Later. When she doesn't have to worry about being overheard.

"Are you sure he won't lead them to us again?" Poe asks, breaking the long silence.

"I can't be sure of much," Rey says.

"We won't get away as easily next time."

_...__if we do at all..._

"I think we're strong enough. We'll be fine."

_I have seen your future. If you refuse me now, Finn will die, and Poe, and Finn. And Kylo. And then you._

But that was the darkness reaching out to her, to tempt her away from the Jedi path. Not truth.

"Let's hope you're right. We're here."

The _Falcon_ surges out of hyperspace to the sight of a single planet lost in a sea of pitch-black galaxy. The orb of green and blue hangs still before them. No star. No sun. No light source in sight. And yet it is brilliant.

"Is that it, then?" Finn's there with them now, his hands resting on either seat, leaning over Poe and Rey to get a better look at it.

Marysyram is its name. A mystery. Who knows when it was last visited by outsiders.

Rey feels at once the wave of energy pulsing from it. The Force is at work here, giving life to this impossible planet in the middle of nowhere.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Poe says as they descend through the atmosphere, into the clear blue sky.

Forest extends below them. A mountainous region that eventually gives way to ocean.

"What are we looking for?" Finn asks, as they slowly glide over the landscape.

Rey cranes her head, her eyes scanning for something that could stick out to her. There's nothing to grasp to. So she tries the opposite approach, closing her eyes and reaching out with the force, hoping for guidance. Nothing. Everything is still and peaceful.

"I don't know yet. Land there." Rey points to their left, to a patch of grass below a hanging crag, on the shore of the ocean.

Poe shuts down the engine. He glances out the window. "It makes no sense. How can it be day when there's no sun?"

"I don't know. But it is."

Rey rises unsteadily to her feet and retreats to the back of the ship where the rest of the group is gathered. Poe and Finn follow behind her.

Rose and Kylo are already on their feet. Rey avoids his searching look as she keeps moving, lowering the ramp and descending onto the land. She's taken one step down onto the verdant land, one breath of the clear air, when the ground trembles angrily beneath her feet. She reaches for something to hold her up, and finds Kylo's hand locked on hers.

Their eyes meet for one brief second, but then his eyes are flying up and opening wide. "What the—"

At his exclamation, two more voices gasp in incredible awe.

Rey looks as they do and sees a monstrous creature rearing up over them, over the trees. A four-legged beast of the same greenish hue of the forest, a long neck extending skywards. A tail flicks out behind it, as it steps out of the forest and into the ocean. From end to end, it must be some sixty feet.

"My goodness!" Rose exclaims. She trips forward, moving towards the creature. "It's beautiful."

"This planet is ancient," Kylo says. "This land is..."

"... eternal," Rey says in unison with him, knowing the same.

As the creature dips into the ocean, as if about to enjoy a bath or a cool swim, Rey turns back to the others. There's so much planet to cover and not enough time. "We'll have to split up if we hope to find what we're looking for."

"And what are we looking for?" Finn asks again.

"I hope you'll know it when you see it." Rey glances back at Kylo. "I'll take Finn and Chewie and Artoo. You can go with Poe and Rose and Threepio."

"I really don't think that's a good idea," Poe and Kylo manage to say at the same time.

Rey grins at that. "Now that's a sign that it is. You'll be fine. Rose will keep an eye on you."

Rose gives a mock salute. "Aye-aye! You can count on me."

"If we find something, we'll reach out to each other," Rey presses on, staying assertive to keep them on this path. "I don't know what this planet holds, but be careful."

"It would help if I were armed."

"No," Poe says at once, glowering at Kylo. "I don't trust—"

"I won't be of much use if I can't fight," Kylo interjects. "I might as well stay behind."

"Fine with me."

"No." Rey hurries back into the _Falcon_. She removes an extra blaster from the compartment and hurries back down to the others. She shoves the weapon in Kylo's hand. "Don't make me regret this."

He scoffs, slips it away in the holster on his belt. For a second, Rey is struck by how much like his father he looks. The stance, the expression on his face. So much of Han Solo is written into him.

She turns away, to face Poe. "Are you okay with this?"

"Do I have a choice?"

She gives a firm shake of her head. "Be safe."

"May the Force be with you," Rose offers as they set off on separate paths.

_May the Force be with you._

* * *

**AN: Happy May the Fourth everyone! I'm sorry for this short and mostly filler chapter. I just really wanted to get one up today. Things are somewhat hectic here with life taking on a new turn, so I might not be posting as often as I've been. But I promise the story will not end here.**

**Stay safe 3**


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Rey and Finn fall easily into conversation as they trek through the jungle terrain. Chewbacca and Artoo follow a few paces behind them, silent except for the steady thudding of Chewie's footfalls and Artoo's whirring wheels.

"Can't remember when it was just the two of us," Finn says, earning an indignant growl from Chewie. "Sorry. Sorry. You know what I mean."

Rey glances back at Chewie. "I don't think he does. Maybe you should walk behind him."

"No, Chewie and I are pals." Finn turns around, and his self-assured grin slips as Chewie warningly shifts his hold on his gun. "Chewie? Buddy? Don't be like that."

Chewbacca flashes his white pearls.

Finn turns forward again. He glances at Rey and gives a defeated shrug. "I might have overestimated our relationship."

Rey smirks. "Speaking about relationships, how long do you think it'll take for those two to blow up?"

"Longer than it would if Rose wasn't with them," Finn says. "I'm glad you picked me to come with you."

"Like you said, it's been a while since it was just the two of us."

When there's no complaint from Chewbacca, Finn throws his hands up in the air. "So you get it when she says it, but I insult you?"

Chewbacca warbles in Wookie.

"Basically," Rey translates.

A sudden cracking of a branch, calls all four to a halt. They turn as one towards the west and wait, poised to act. But seconds crawl by, transforming into minutes.

Finn and Rey breathed out the air they had been holding in. "It's strange," Finn says as they move on again. "There's something about this place... Can you hear it? Like a melody?"

Rey nods. "It's growing louder too."

"What do you think it is?"

"The Force. It's alive here." She furrows her brow, scrutinizing him with new wonder. "But you can hear it?"

Finn nods. "For a while now, I've felt like I can... sense things I never did before. I don't know how to describe it."

Rey did. "It's like you're experiencing the world beyond sight, touch, hearing, smelling, tasting. On a different realm entirely."

"Yeah."

"I think you might be sensitive with the Force. Like Leia."

"Really?" Finn's voice pitches higher with excitement. "Wow. That's... That's amazing! So I could be a Jedi?"

"With training. I think so. Or maybe something else."

"Something else?"

"Not of the Jedi or of the Sith. Something else," Rey says, and her mind wanders further off, thinking of Kylo.

#

He feels the prick of Rey's thoughts at the back of his head, hears her words echo in his mind. _Not of the Jedi or of the Sith. Something else._

Out of context, he can't be sure what she means by it, but it sparks a small flame in him. Of possibility. Once this mission is done, once Hux is dealt with. He will build something with her. Something new.

"Pick up the pace, Threepio."

Poe's command grates his ears. Kylo pulls from his thoughts, focusing back to the present.

C-3PO, long-suffering servant of Leia's, has fallen far behind their quickened pace. The golden droid jerks his arms, aggrieved gestures. "I can only go so faster, Master Poe! I am as my Maker made me."

His Maker. Anakin Skywalker. Kylo's grandfather. But Kylo feels nothing for this droid. He feels even less for Poe. "If you don't want him to hold us back, maybe you should carry him."

"If we're throwing ideas out into the universe, maybe you should use the Force to hurry him up."

"I'm not the one complaining."

"I'm not complaining, you—"

"Oh, enough!" Rose interjects. She storms into view, between the two of them, a fierce expression on her face. "Arguing is not going to get us anywhere faster. Or safer. If anything, you're bound to draw something to us. So shut up. Both of you."

She storms ahead even as Kylo and Poe falter, staring after her. By the time they're ready to start again, Threepio has passed them by.

Kylo glances at Poe who's also glanced at him. The surprise of meeting eye to eye forces them to quickly stare away again before setting off.

The silence lasts as long until Rose's premonition comes to pass.

Kylo feels the shift in the energy, but it's Rose who cries out first. "Look at this!"

Poe is at her side before Kylo can reach them. But he doesn't need to see the great print in the ground to know that danger is upon them. He can feel it, eyes watching through the jungle. And then he can see the eyes and the creature they belong to. A great, scaly beast standing erect on two feet, a thin, long tail flicking out as if in eager anticipation of a feast. It's maw opens and reveals the threat of rows of fanged teeth.

Kylo has his blaster out, but before he can take a shot, it's ripped out of his hands.

He thinks it's Poe, but a glance assures him that Poe has suffered the same, as has Rose.

His eyes latch onto the beast's again. A Force Wielder. Of all the rotten luck.

The scaly creature roars as it surges from the trees. Kylo summons the Force to break the large branch of a tree. It falls, knocking against the creature's back, distracting it long enough for Kylo to dash over to where Rose and Poe are huddled together. With a thought, he summons their guns back to his hands and passes them over.

His own flies in next but before he can take a shot, it's wrenched from his hands again, and flung further off than before.

"Damn it all!" Kylo cries as he feels the next pull against him, slamming him against the ground, dragging him forward. He reaches out for the fallen branch and wields it like a bat, slamming it against the creature's head.

At once, the Force releases him. Leaping to his feet, he prepares to knock the creature out, but the falling branch is stopped, the creature now using the force to hold it up. It's a battle of strengths, but in this world, this creature is the one with a better grasp on the Force than he is. The branch is wrenched from his grasp and suddenly it's flying towards him.

He darts aside, but the branch catches him in the side, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The sound of a blaster firing is followed by a pained roar. Then a very human shout.

Kylo flips over in time to see Poe whizzing through the air. He hits the ground beside him with a thud and a _oomph!_, dazed.

The beast looms over them, saliva dropping from its wide maw. Kylo reaches for the Force, but a greater power beats him to it, restrains him, holds his body frozen in time, his mind unable to move to protect him anymore than his hands.

_Rey!_

#

Rey stumbles. Finn's hands wrap around her, hold her before she can hit the ground. Fear pounds in her heart. If she listens closely, she can hear it in Finn's chest too. He feels it, the peril reigning over their friends.

_Kylo!_

#

It's a cry of desperation, too far away, helpless to save him.

_So this is how I die__,_ he thinks bitterly to himself. _With Poe Dameron at my side._

Poe is stuck as he is, his eyes alone able to move, darting back and forth in confused terror.

Perhaps this is the irony of the universe. He hopes Han Solo will find it funny. He wonders whose death his mother will mourn more: his or Poe's. He wishes—

"Hey! Hey! Don't hurt them. Please."

Rose dashes into view, leaping atop the branch, her hands waving anxiously to draw the creature's attention.

_You fool__,_ he wants to scream. _Get out of here. Save yourself. _But his mouth is as bound as his body.

The creature hesitates, blinks curiously at Rose.

"Hi, there. I'm Rose. Rose Tico. And these are my friends. Please don't kill them."

The beast leans in closer to her, until its snout is a breath away from her face. It breathes in deep.

Rose trembles visibly but she doesn't run away, standing as tall as ever. Kylo feels her confidence swell, growing stronger.

"We aren't here to hurt you. We're looking for a way to defeat the Sith. We're the good guys."

Kylo can't imagine this beast has any sense of what those words mean. But it hasn't eaten Rose yet. That means something. Maybe it's because she isn't sensitive to the Force and hasn't tried to attack it yet. Maybe it only eats the male of the species. Maybe it's just considering how best to eat her. Head first, or feet. Maybe...

He gasps as the Force holding him down slips away. He's free to move. He sits up quickly as Poe does the same.

The beast's eyes lock with him, warn him against moving again.

Rose glances back at him, beaming. "She won't hurt us. I think we scared her, that's all."

"She?" Poe hisses. "How do you know—" His voice dies as the beast's eyes meet his.

"We'll leave you in peace," Rose speaks up, drawing the creature's attention back to her. "Thank you."

The beast straightens again, gives a tiny bob of its—her?—head, and tromps away.

Kylo rises shakily to his feet, the ground shaking beneath him with every step the beast takes.

Rose leaps down from the branch. She stands before them, hands perched happily on her hips. "Violence isn't always the answer," she says and with self-assurance twists on her heel and marches off.

Kylo steals a glance at Poe who's stolen a glance at him. "Well..." he says.

"Yeah," Poe says.

"I was certain you were both dead," Threepio's voice is cast between them. "How glad I am to be wrong."

They glance back at the droid.

"Next time we throw the droid at them," Poe suggests.

"Good plan," Kylo mutters.

Threepio stares between them. If his face could show expression, it would probably show trepidation.

_Kylo?_

He forgot about Rey.

_It's okay. We're fine. Rose saved us._

_That's good. Because we found it._

#

Rey pulls her attention back to the present, back to the land before her, to the drop in ground and the gape in the trees where a steepled tower rises above the ground, hovering below the canopy. It glows with the Force. And she knows without knowing that it holds the answers they're looking for.

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the long wait, dear readers. It's been a crazy month. I hope this longer, action-y chapter will serve for the moment. The next chapter will 'hopefully' be up sooner than later.**

**Stay safe 3**


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